Jacoby Ellsbury Joining Superstar Teammates in Game’s Upper Echelon

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Jul 20, 2011

Jacoby Ellsbury Joining Superstar Teammates in Game's Upper Echelon Almost from the start, there was talk of Adrian Gonzalez being a Most Valuable Player candidate in the American League. It's hard to stay away from that when the man in question leads the league in hitting and RBIs.

As spring turned to summer, some began to suggest that Dustin Pedroia's play would eventually cause him to enter the discussion. Statistically, Pedroia is on pace in several key categories with his 2008 MVP campaign, and anyone who has seen Pedroia play knows his value goes well beyond those quality numbers.

Perhaps it is time we turn our attention to the guy setting the table for those two in the best offense in baseball. Or, as was the case again Wednesday afternoon in Baltimore, the guy clearing the table.

Jacoby Ellsbury, an unlikely power source not only because of his history as a speed guy first and foremost, but also due to his wasted 2010 season, slugged two more home runs in a 4-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday.

With the blasts, both no-doubters to right field, Ellsbury ranks third on the power-packed roster in home runs with 15, four behind David Ortiz and just two behind Gonzalez. In other words, a man who had never reached double figures in the category prior to 2011, even in the minors, is now tracking down the AL's Home Run Derby captain, and the event's runner-up.

To Ellsbury's credit, he's taking it all in stride.

"Just being ready to hit, being aggressive in the zone and keeping my hands back," he plainly said when asked what the difference has been. "Just being ready to swing."

It's not as if Ellsbury is eschewing the rest of his remarkable game and focusing solely on power. He entered Wednesday ranked second in the AL in stolen bases. He's in the top 10 in singles, the top four in doubles and has his average up to .316, good for fifth in the league at the conclusion of the victory over Baltimore. Only Gonzalez has more hits.

Also, based on both traditional and contemporary defensive statistics, Ellsbury is playing his position better than anyone in the league. Among those qualified in the AL, he's the only center fielder without an error. He tops them all in putouts. Name your sabermetric, and he's at or near the top.

It's a complete package that the Red Sox knew they had all along. It was just those on the outside that were blinded by 2010.

"We've always thought he was going to be a really good player. He's doing just that," said Kevin Youkilis. "He's going out there and maturing and playing the game just unbelievably. He's doing a lot of great things. He's always had the ability. He’s just had to learn as he's gotten older.

"He's doing a great job of learning and learning himself and learning the game a lot more, and it's unbelievable. The results are showing."

And they’re showing at important times. Ellsbury does plenty of damage when his team really needs it, batting .323 in tie games, .405 with two outs and runners in scoring position and .333 in medium- and high-leverage situations. While not all of those situations emerged Wednesday, his timeliness was plain to see.

Moments after Red Sox starter Andrew Miller escaped a bases-loaded jam with a monstrous double play to finish the second, Ellsbury delivered an absolute punch in the gut to the lowly Orioles by hammering his first homer with one out in the third, snapping a scoreless tie.

Mere minutes after Baltimore had an opportunity with a wild Miller on the ropes, Ellsbury was circling the bases with the only run that really mattered in the end. Although the O's never scored, his solo shot in the seventh to make it 3-0 loomed incredibly large at the time.

After each blast, Ellsbury could be seen smiling in the dugout, clearly pleased with how his complete game has come together. In his last 16 games, Ellsbury is 29-for-71 (.408) with six home runs, four doubles, two triples, 15 runs scored and 15 RBIs.

That is incredible production.

"That's the product or the by-product of him turning into a better hitter," manager Terry Francona said. "He's a pretty strong kid, probably stronger than people realize, and when he takes swings like that he's going to hit some balls out of the ballpark."

When you go to dinner, you can't eat without someone setting the table. When it's all said and done, nobody wants to be the one cleaning it up. Ellsbury's doing both, and his value is soaring right now. Perhaps enough that we need to consider it worthy of a special honor.

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