Greg M. Cooper- USA Today Sports
In the season’s first two months, everything was going just the way Boston Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli wanted.
After settling for a one-year, five million dollar deal because his physical revealed a degenerative hip condition, Napoli proved he was healthy, launching eight home runs and driving in 40 batting in the middle of the Red Sox lineup before the calender turned to June. He was a huge boost in April particularly, picking up the slack while David Ortiz was on the shelf with a sore Achilles.
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But there were signs from the beginning that the good times wouldn’t last.
Napoli did plenty of damage when he made contact. The only problem was, Napoli swung and missed more times than Kim Kardashian said “like” in April and May, compiling an unhealthy 78 punch-outs in only 207 at bats. However, it’s tough not to embrace a guy that’s getting the job done, no matter what way he’s doing it.
However, since June 1st, Napoli’s run production has been miserable, driving in only 29 runs in the last three months, after producing 27 RBI in the month of April alone. Holes in his swing that he couldn’t fill and his inability to make contact has led to an anemic .207 batting average, with runners in scoring position in 2013. This number was so disturbing that manager John Farrell had no choice but to move Napoli from the #5 spot in the lineup to the #7 spot.
Napoli is a notoriously streaky hitter, and he has been throughout his seven year MLB career. However, he’s never been in this deep a funk. He’s batting .146 in August for crying out loud.
So what’s wrong with him? Was his early-season production just a mirage? Has there been a nagging injury?
He’s also missed the last week or so with plantar fasciitas in his left foot, maybe an indication that there has been a nagging injury putting a damper on his production for months now. It’s an incredibly painful injury, one that ended fellow AL 1B Albert Pujols’ season prematurely.
However, Napoli’s foot has improved enough where he should be back in the lineup relatively soon.
The question is, when he comes back does he deserve to be back in the lineup on a daily basis?
Napoli can carry a team when he’s performing well, as evidenced by his wonderful April, but if he’s hitting like he has been the last three months, I’m not so sure.
I think Daniel Nava and Mike Carp would be much better options against right-handed pitching.
Shawn Ferris is a Boston Red Sox and Fantasy Sports writer for www.rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @RealShawnFerris, “like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.
