Whither Alex Gonzalez?
by user Tylersalt
Lugo's offense has not balanced his awful defense thus far.
The
Boston Red Sox made a big gamble this offseason by letting light-hitting but defensive wizard
Alex Gonzalez leave for the
Cincinnati Reds while signing
Julio Lugo to man shortstop. They hoped that Lugo's offense would outweigh the liability he represented in the field, but so far that has not been the case. Lugo has been both a liability in the field
and at the plate (and in the leadoff spot to boot), and Red Sox fans are concerned. Gonzalez was not a complete tragedy at the plate and had his fair share of clutch hits once he got going last year, and
Curt Schilling called him in no uncertain terms one of the finest shortstops he ever played with.
It's early, so Lugo could very well come around soon and live up to the big contract Boston gave him. However, I'm worried and was never real big on that signing in the first place. What are your thoughts? Did the Red Sox make a mistake? Their defense has been the complete opposite of last year, when as a team they turned in one of the best defensive seasons in history.
