Carl Crawford

[60'sfan]

According to Carl the bad seasons he had in Boston were not his fault. Clearly the Sox put undue pressure on him. First they overpaid him and then they expected him to perform. There was so much pressure that he had to hide out on the DL.

 

[Danzz]

I like Crawford as a player but $20MM a year for a corner outfielder without much power? Carl would have been amazed at how he would have been received in Boston if he just stuck a hit in there once in awhile. Most of the pressure he felt was self inflicted. Better he stays on the left coast where the fans come late and leave early.

 

[60'sfan]

If you were to compare Jonny Gomes to Carl Crawford, without looking at the numbers, you might select Carl as the better player. Carl runs better than Jonny and hits for a higher average but that's about it for Carl. They have the same OBP, Jonny has more power, walks more often and is clearly the better fielder. He also has a salary that is 1/4 the size of Carl's.

 

[sinkhole]

Gomes is a better fielder then Crawford? Funny stuff.

 

[60'sfan]

Gomes is a better fielder then Crawford? Funny stuff.

Perhaps Carl was a good fielder when he played for Tampa but he has clearly deteriorated. You may even recall when the Sox blew their lead two years ago, it was Carl that dropped the line drive that was hit right at him. This year he has a fielding average of .979 with three errors and only one assist. I had heard the Jonny was a poor outfielder when the Sox signed him but he has been a pleasant surprise. He has won at least two games with great plays in the outfield. He had a .990 fielding average with just one error and five assists.

 

[Jerry1714]

Carl is an idiot. He had no problem taking the money but couldn't handle the pressure that came with it and cried like a baby. His attempts to blame his poor play on being in Boston is hilarious. Hey Carl how does that series loss taste?

 

[Danzz]

If you were to compare Jonny Gomes to Carl Crawford, without looking at the numbers, you might select Carl as the better player. Carl runs better than Jonny and hits for a higher average but that's about it for Carl. They have the same OBP, Jonny has more power, walks more often and is clearly the better fielder. He also has a salary that is 1/4 the size of Carl's.

One of the problems with Crawford is figuring out where to bat him in the lineup. He doesn't take enough pitches to bat him 1 or 2 and doesn't have enough power to bat him 3-5. $20MM a year is too much to pay a 7-8 hitter. As you said his OBP is about the same as Gomes. He does have much better range than Gomes but he has the arm of a CF. Gomes may actually be a better option for the Sox. I've been surprised by Gomes defense and expected a better defensive outfielder than what Crawford showed in Boston.

 

[Dogdeacon]

Seems like a steroid story to me. Great success followed by massive dropoff and injury problems. I remember pre-Boston storyline that he was a workout freak and had an amazing gym routine. That is always the steroid cover story (See Clemens, Roger). Add to it that the stuff can make you psycho.

If he'd stayed in Tampa next to all the drug clinics he might have been fine, but the Rays knew and didn't want the risk. Once he came to the much less drug friendly confines of Fenway Park* without his chemicals everything fell to pieces. He'll be out of baseball in 2-3 years.



* Sorry I'm trolling. Seriously no team is different than any other. Not serious, its more likely the opposite as it is logical that players on constant contenders are more likely to use drugs. All pro athletes cheat if they can. Sox, Yankees doesn't matter. Seriously I'm kidding about this.

 

[sinkhole]

Seems like a steroid story to me. Great success followed by massive dropoff and injury problems. I remember pre-Boston storyline that he was a workout freak and had an amazing gym routine. That is always the steroid cover story (See Clemens, Roger). Add to it that the stuff can make you psycho.

If he'd stayed in Tampa next to all the drug clinics he might have been fine, but the Rays knew and didn't want the risk. Once he came to the much less drug friendly confines of Fenway Park* without his chemicals everything fell to pieces. He'll be out of baseball in 2-3 years.



Sorry I'm trolling. Seriously no team is different than any other. Not serious, its more likely the opposite as it is logical that players on constant contenders are more likely to use drugs. All pro athletes cheat if they can. Sox, Yankees doesn't matter. Seriously I'm kidding about this.

I almost bit. Good stuff Dog.

 

[Waquoit]

Seems like a steroid story to me. Great success followed by massive dropoff and injury problems. I remember pre-Boston storyline that he was a workout freak and had an amazing gym routine. That is always the steroid cover story (See Clemens, Roger). Add to it that the stuff can make you psycho.

If he'd stayed in Tampa next to all the drug clinics he might have been fine, but the Rays knew and didn't want the risk. Once he came to the much less drug friendly confines of Fenway Park* without his chemicals everything fell to pieces. He'll be out of baseball in 2-3 years.

Sorry I'm trolling. Seriously no team is different than any other. Not serious, its more likely the opposite as it is logical that players on constant contenders are more likely to use drugs. All pro athletes cheat if they can. Sox, Yankees doesn't matter. Seriously I'm kidding about this.

What trolling? You make a good case. Add Brady Anderson. He exploded once he left the "less drug friendly confines" as well.

 

[Dogdeacon]

I almost bit. Good stuff Dog.

I should have made the footnote look more like a signature, then I would have gotten 300 words from you on why Carl's Tampa days were purely the result of hard work and it was the toxic Boston atmosphere that made him psycho and turn to drugs as a last resort.

Or maybe $20M per was simply a bit much!