Under the microscope: Carl Crawford

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Red Sox [team stats] started one of their worst lineups of the season yesterday. No Jacoby Ellsbury [stats]. No Kevin Youkilis [stats]. No David Ortiz [stats].

If ever a time screamed to move Carl Crawford up in the order, this was it. It has been that kind of season for the $142 million man, who has struggled to find a comfort zone since Day 1 and is running out of time to make his first season with the Red Sox a productive one.

Yesterday, with left-hander Danny Duffy on the mound, Red Sox manager Terry Francona eschewed batting Crawford second — no doubt in large part because he started the game batting .179 against lefties — in favor of right-hander Darnell McDonald, who was hitting just .175 overall.

Both players responded with solo homers. McDonald blasted a 391-foot shot to left in the sixth, and Crawford followed suit with a bomb over the right field fence an inning later.

The homer turned what had been looking like another unproductive day (strikeout, weak groundout) into one Crawford could feel good about. Maybe it’ll even get him going.

If we’ve learned anything about the left fielder this season, it’s that feeling good about himself is of the utmost importance.

For all the talk of the Red Sox hiring a “private investigator” to plumb the depths of Crawford’s character and personality (a figure of speech that general manager Theo Epstein has since declared poorly phrased), their research failed to predict how he’d handle the scrutiny of Boston.

Some guys rage at the negativity defiantly. Think John Lackey, saying “You guys will write what you want anyway.”

Others ignore it and remain unaffected. Think J.D. Drew [stats], who’s just as pleasant as the day he arrived, and whose numbers have basically mirrored those of his career, at least until the last year or so.

But Crawford is unique in that his response to criticism seems to be . . . sadness.

He acknowledges he hears the boos, even on the road, where every visitor gets booed. Earlier this season, he admitted that a particularly negative string of questions from a local radio reporter ruined his mood. In recent days he has finally taken to dismissing questions about his performance altogether, because what’s left to say?

“I just caught one,” he said yesterday when asked about his homer. “That’s how I’m feeling right now. I really can’t break it down for you or give you something in-depth on my swing. I’m just trying to finish strong the best way I can.”

Crawford works tirelessly, maybe harder than anyone on the team. He’s routinely drenched in sweat when other players are just arriving at the park. His pregame ritual involves shuttling between the batting cage and some other workout. He’s fanatical about improving and rarely sits still.

When he then gets criticized or questioned, he comes across as wounded, his tone suggesting, Can’t you see how hard I’m working? I care more than any of you. Why isn’t that enough? The Red Sox [team stats] hope and believe the combination of Crawford’s work ethic and talent will eventually prevail. They really don’t have a choice, considering how committed they are to him over the next six years.

Plenty of players struggle during their Red Sox debut before scaling greater heights. Josh Beckett [stats] posted a 5.01 ERA in 2006 before carrying the Red Sox to a title in 2007. In that championship season, Drew was a postseason hero after compiling a relative zero of a regular season while caring for a sick child.

Crawford has the skills to experience a similar revival, and it could start today. The longer-term issue is if he’ll ever adapt to the scrutiny of playing here . And that question, unfortunately, does not yet have an answer

 

http://liarcatchers.com/corporate_investigations.html

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Delicious
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Add to favorites
  • Email
  • RSS
  • LinkedIn
This entry was posted in Private detective and tagged . Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.