Despite having a talented first baseman in Kevin Youkilis, the Red Sox saw an opportunity to upgrade their lineup and traded three prospects to San Diego for Adrian Gonzalez. With David Ortiz locked into the DH spot, the only way to get Youkilis consistent at bats was by playing his original position – third base. This was quite the risk, as Youk had never played 3B for a full season in the majors. In fact, the most amount of time Youkilis spent at 3B before 2011 was in 2004 – his rookie season. While he was never considered a plus defender at the hot corner, it was expected that his bat would make him quite valuable there.
The Adrian Gonzalez trade got a lot of praise – and rightfully so. But the question nobody really seemed to concerned about, was whether or not Youkilis was capable of playing third over a full season. Youkilis would often miss time due to injuries, as he hadn’t reached 140+ games played since 2008. He had played in only 102 games in 2010 because of injuries, and was being asked to move to third, which was much more physically demanding than first base. He’d been a fantastic defender at first, and his bat made him one of the best hitters at the position.
So after spending a year playing third, is Youkils capable of playing the position in the long term? I’m not so sure. Once again he lost time to injuries, playing in only 120 games this season. While he was still an above average hitter, his 832 OPS was one of his worst seasons since 2006. Youkilis wasn’t a liability with the glove, but he wasn’t an asset there either.
The Red Sox should be alarmed by Youkilis’ drop in production. Was it because of the injuries, the physical demand of playing third, or a combination of both? Youk still showed his trademark patience, so it’s unlikely that he’s started his decline. His BABIP was slightly below his career average, but by no means low enough to cause an alarm. So it’s likely his lack of production was due to injuries. But with the risk of injury being higher at third, is it worth playing him there?
If Boston was able to acquire a quality 3B, it might be worth moving Youkilis off third base so he could DH or split time at first with Gonzalez. As they’re currently constructed, they need to get as many productive at bats out of Youkilis at 3B as they can, if they want to have any chance to fend off Tampa Bay or New York. Upgrading the rotation is going to be crucial for the Red Sox, but one of the keys for their lineup might just be getting a healthy, productive season out of Youkilis. And if he’s playing third, that’s a bet I’m not willing to make.
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Let Poppy go and get a big contract elsewhere; move Yook into DH; let him give A-Gonz a day off on occasion; bring up Will Middlebrooks, or make a trade for Anthony Rendon (Nationals). Also, get a back-up C who can DH; I like Pudge Rod. Sign Heath Bell. OUT!