Coco A-Gogo?

You may not have heard about it yet, but there is a possibility that the Sox just pulled off what could end up being the most crucial deal of the season.

It looks like they may have traded Coco Crisp '06/'07 for Coco Crisp '04/'05.


I know, I know, its waaaaay to early to be drawing any conclusions about Crisp's strong couple of days at the dish. Although the sample size may be small, I am not as impressed with his production as I am with the demeanor and attitude he has displayed in the batter's box.

For the first third of the season, Crisp was only able to keep his average above the Mendoza line with seeing-eye singles and well placed bunts. You could probably have counted the number of well-struck balls jumped off Coco's bat in April and May on one hand. Imagine how far his numbers would have dropped if he wasn't blessed with blazing speed?

This weekend's slate of games, however, revealed just how critical good hitting mechanics are to major league pitchers. Working with hitting coach Dave Magadan, Coco has started closing up his stance, adjusting his bat position, and standing taller in the ready position. The results speak for themselves - even when he has made outs over the past couple of days, they have been of the loud variety.

Am I expecting our center fielder to bat .500 the rest of the way? Of course not. In his best season in Cleveland, he finished up at .300 on the nose, and we can't expect him to reach that mark for the 2007 campaign. However, Tom opined just two days ago that Coco would be a great contributor if he could even hit .250...and with his 4-for-4 performance tonight, Mr. Crisp's batting average rests at .247.

And as Tom also pointed out, his fielding so far this season has been exceptional, especially at Fenway. Sure, he has no arm, but very few center fielders can cover as much ground as Crisp while also having the ability to gun runners out on the bases. Especially on those days when Drew needs a rest and Coco is flanked by Manny and Dr. Wily Mo Pena, I'll trade the noodle arm for the exceptional range.

So settle in, Coco. Don't try to do too much. Hopefully Tito will keep a calm head and let you hold your ground in the 8 slot, where you can focus on the glovework and everything you contribute with your bat is a bonus. I'd keep you there even if you stay hot; a couple of years ago we had a batting champion hitting 8th for an entire season, and that worked out pretty well, if I remember correctly.