The only position battle in camp
Manager Terry Francona has labeled Marco Scutaro his shortstop. That much we know. And if Scutaro has a season like he did in 2010, barring the last couple of weeks when his shoulder gave out, the Red Sox will be just fine with the scenario.
While playing the bulk of his games in the leadoff role, one that came to him unexpectedly, Scutaro hit .275, led the team in runs and at-bats and ranked second in both hits and doubles. There were times, amid the onslaught of injuries, that Scutaro was considered one of the team MVPs.
However, the way in which the season came to an end has some wondering if everything should remain
status quo.
Defensively, Scutaro took a bit of a dip in 2010, but there was a culprit. He was dogged by a balky shoulder that prevented him from making all the throws, and when he was forced to move to second base late in the year and then shut down all together, his replacement, Jed Lowrie, shined.
The temptation is there to see if Lowrie can translate the .324 average and 1.070 OPS he briefly had as a shortstop over the course of a full season. Certainly, that would take an already-potent lineup and make it otherworldly.
But that's just it. The Sox already have a lineup that will do loads of damage. What Lowrie does by serving in a utility role and giving Scutaro a chance to stay his steady self is give the club an extremely solid bench. They don't need to force Lowrie into the starting role just to dream the dream. If he is destined to hit .300 with power and play shortstop, he will find his way eventually. For now, Lowrie's versatility should serve phenomenally off the bench. As it is, he'll get his fair share of starts against left-handers, whom he hits well.
Based on September, it's tempting to make an all-out switch, but the Red Sox know enough to resist urges unless it is absolutely necessary. At this point in time, it isn't. Marco Scutaro is your shortstop.
Other options
Let’s get hypothetical for a moment here. Imagine Scutaro is hitting .212 at the end of April while Lowrie has a thumb injury. It’s safe to say a handful of eager Red Sox fans will be calling for Jose Iglesias, the presumed future at the position.
Certainly, Iglesias' day figures to come soon, but we should temper our enthusiasm just a bit until Iglesias shows us a little more. Because of an injury, he was limited to just 20 games in 2010, his first in the system. He hit .285 at Double-A Portland and added 67 more at-bats in the Arizona Fall League, but Iglesias needs more time to improve at the plate at the minor league level. Not that he will be relied upon to carry the Red Sox with his bat someday, but they don’t want him to be overmatched when that time comes.
Yamaico Navarro, who had some time with the big club last year, could get a chance to fill in before Iglesias is ready.
If all else fails
It's hard to imagine the four guys already mentioned all being unavailable. If that ever happens, something seriously went wrong. One name to keep an eye on outside the organization is Jose Reyes, the New York Mets shortstop who is entering the last year of his contract. The Sox are loaded with speed guys right now and have Iglesias coming down the line, so it's unlikely they would have too much interest if and when Reyes becomes a free agent. Something to think about though.
