Sunday’s trade of non-roster infielder Tony Womack to the Cardinals for non-roster right-hander Matt Duff flew largely under Red Sox Nation’s proverbial radar, but it is clearly an important sign of the times for the Olde Towne Team camp winds down at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers, Fla.
Despite the loss of right fielder Trot Nixon for at least the season’s first month, and with star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra hobbling around in an inflatable cast while recovering from Achilles tendonitis, there is no sense of panic around new manager Terry Francona’s first camp as Sox skipper, and for two good reasons: depth and flexibility.
Womack is a former starter and World Series hero who has played both infield and outfield for Pittsburgh and Arizona, and is currently rehabbing a shoulder injury that kept him out of much of 2003. A left-handed hitter, a hole in his swing kept Womack from ever becoming a consistent leadoff hitter, but his blazing speed certainly put him over the top as a valuable contributor when healthy.
He is also the type of player that both former general manager Dan Duquette and current second-year GM Theo Epstein have been willing to take risks on during their respective tenure’s on Yawkey Way. Players like Bret Saberhagen, David Cone and Robert Person, who were signed as injured, known commodities, rehabbed and went on to achieve varying levels of success.
So without an everyday player penciled in for the daunting task of patrolling Fenway Park’s cavernous right field, and with the thought of again losing Garciaparra for an extended period of time frightening the hell out of those within the Nation that even chose to think about it, how can Epstein pass on the value a versatile player like Womack could potentially add to Francona’s bench?
Again, depth and flexibility.
Among the seven serious candidates hoping to break camp with New England’s favorite sons as reserves, five bat right-handed, one swings lefty and another switch hits.
Defensively, there is only one true infielder and one true outfielder in the group, while four out of the remaining five can claim to play either-or, with the lone exception being backup catcher Doug Mirabelli.
In other words, it is quite obviously a diverse group, and one that will allow Francona the ability to mix and match and double-switch to his heart’s content. Therefore, the question is quite simple: who sticks?
Assuming that Mirabelli has already sewn up his gig as Tim Wakefield’s personal backstop again in 2004, and also that Epstein and Francona will carry eleven pitchers despite a shoulder injury to starter Byung-Hyun Kim and the current lack of a left-handed specialist, that leaves a mere four spots to be filled, with the possibility of Nixon landing on the disabled list potentially increasing that number to five.
Outfielder Gabe Kapler is all but assured a return to Beantown after an impressive showing following his mid-summer acquisition, and will likely see the bulk of the time in right field in place of Nixon. He is a relentless worker with good speed, a strong arm and good pop in his bat, and now has supposedly proven he can also play some third base.
Former Sox draft pick Ellis Burks will likely also be guaranteed a spot after Epstein signed him away from Cleveland after an injury plagued 2003. Burks is a tremendous power hitter when healthy, and says his oft-troublesome knees are better than ever. He should serve as Francona’s number one pinch-hitting option, and could return to the Fenway outfield to help fill in for Nixon.
From there, it gets trickier in attempting to fill the remaining two (or three) spots. Second baseman Mark Bellhorn is the lone switch hitter who once clouted 27 homeruns in a season, while each of the trio of Brian Daubach, Terry Shumpert and David McCarty can play both infield and outfield, with the latter also possessing the ability to pitch.
Daubach, a Fenway fan favorite, could get the nod because he hits from the left side, and has also proven he can handle the East Coast pressure cooker over multiple seasons. Bellhorn also appears to have an edge as new second baseman Pokey Reese’s insurance policy, along with his alleged tendency to crush the inside fastball from the left side.
Shumpert, meanwhile, should be a prime candidate to offer reinforcement from Pawtucket, while McCarty still has a chance to make the club if Nixon indeed lands on the DL.
Mike Marzelli is a Collegian columnist. He can be reached at [email protected].
