JULIO LUGO IS NOT THAT GOOD AT BASEBALL

by Andrew Green, altgreen16@gmail.com

When did Julio Lugo become one of the top shortstops in baseball? For the past couple seasons, many Red Sox fans salivated over the idea of getting Lugo, despite statistical evidence that he simply is not that good. True, Lugo has been a Red Sox killer in his career (.304 career BA, his 3rd best among AL opponents), but he has never proven himself to be among the game’s elite in anything.

A recent Boston Globe article has inspired this rebuttal. You may recall, my previous article criticizing Boston’s front office moves since 2004, but surprisingly, most of the reaction to the Lugo signing has been extremely positive. Let’s review my most basic gripe: the Sox gave Lugo the same contract that they gave to Edgar Renteria, although Lugo is two years older than Renteria was at the time. Many people will be quick to point out that, while Renteria may have a better track record, he was not considered thick-skinned enough to play in Boston. This is the same player who delivered the game-winning hit in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series.

But how exactly has Lugo proven that he can excel in the clutch and handle the pressures of Boston? Most of his career has been spent in the cellar of the American League East that is Tampa Bay. Lugo did finally get an opportunity to play for a contender this past summer, when he was traded to the Dodgers. He responded by hitting .219 down the stretch and has a career BA of .083 in the playoffs. Of his struggles in Los Angeles, the Globe article quotes Lugo as saying “I was just put into a hard situation there and I didn't feel comfortable… I mean, they had a lot of unhappy people there, a lot of unhappy players. And unhappy players can't produce.” That does not sound like someone who will respond well when he struggles in Boston. I would also like to point out that J.D. Drew was a part of that clubhouse that Lugo criticized. The two newest Red Sox are signed for a combined $103 million, while they have been selected to a combined 0 All-Star games. If Lugo was so great, one would expect that he would not have tremendous difficulty earning an All-Star nomination during his time in Tampa.

Julio Lugo is not a bad player, but he is certainly not the player that people seem to be making him out to be. The aforementioned Globe article claims that Lugo “stands out as a terrific offensive shortstop”. Terrific? Are you serious? He is a career .277 hitter who has never hit over .300, scored 100 runs, driven in 80 or hit more than 15 homers. That sounds very average for a modern shortstop – it is certainly not terrific. When I think of a terrific offensive shortstop, I think Miguel Tejada, Derek Jeter, and some more, including of course, Nomar of the late 90s. If Lugo has a season similar to his previous seven, it will be along the lines of .280, 13, 60 with over 20 errors. That does not sound like something the Fenway Faithful will love.