Red Sox v. Yankees '07: Corner Infield

Red Sox Third and First: The Sox wisely return two of their most consistent players of 2006 to the corners this season. After his mediocre 2005 season, Mike Lowell was thrown in as an afterthought in the Josh Beckett trade with Florida, but he proved that he was more than capable of bouncing back. A career .273 hitter, Lowell batted .284 in 2006 with 20 homeruns, 47 doubles, and 80 RBI. He also played gold-glove caliber defense, committing just 6 errors in his 153 games at third base. There’s nothing to make me believe he won’t match or improve upon his numbers in the upcoming season.

Meanwhile, in his first full season in the big leagues and at a new position, Kevin Youkilis wowed fans with his performance at first base. Not only did he play sparkling defense with just 5 errors, he also produced at the plate with a .279 average, 13 homeruns, 42 doubles, and a .381 on-base percentage. He hit all over the lineup, and filled nicely in for Coco Crisp at the leadoff spot while Crisp was out with an injury to his finger. Look for him to spend most of 2007 batting behind newly acquired leadoff man Julio Lugo. He’ll always be an on-base machine, and there’s a good chance you’ll see an increase in his power numbers, to boot. Remember, those Fenway fans are screaming “Yooooouuuuk!” not “Booooo!”

Backing up third base will be Youkilis and Alex Cora, one of Terry Francona’s favorite players for his consistency and knowledge of the game. Cora isn’t a huge threat at plate with his .239 average, 1 homerun and 18 RBI in 235 plate appearances, but he knows how to get things done. If you need a bunt or a sacrifice, you can count on Cora. He always plays superior defense. He won’t play that many games at third, as his natural positions are shortstop and second base, but he’ll spell Lowell a few times in the season. You can also expect to see fan favorite David Ortiz play a handful of games at first base, especially during inter-league play. Obviously Big Papi is one of the premier players of the game, and somehow continues to improve every year. Spending most of the season at DH, he’s not the most spectacular defender but he’s not the liability that most people expect him to be, either. Look for utility man Eric Hinske to spend some time at the corners, too. Acquired in August from the Blue Jays, Hinske wowed the Fenway crowd in his debut against the Yankees by hitting four doubles. He ended up hitting .288 with a homerun and 5 RBI for the Sox, bringing his ‘06 totals to .271 with 13 homeruns and 34 RBI.


Yankees Third and First: The Yankees have a few question marks at their corner positions, but I believe they’ll end up getting some good production, at the very least out of third baseman Alex Rodriguez. Many believe A-Rod had an off year in 2006, and by his standards perhaps he did. Having averaged almost 42 homers per year since his first full season with Seattle in 1996 with a career .305 average, Rodriguez hit 35 long balls in ‘06 and batted at a .290 click. He still managed to knock in 121 runs. He also garnered a lot of criticism for his defensive decline, collecting 24 errors at the hot corner. His most infamous performance (and hardest for the fans to forget), however, was at the plate in the 2006 post-season. A-Rod hit a measly .071 with four strikeouts in October, and during his time with the Yankees has just one homerun and 3 RBI during the playoffs. That said, he was the AL Player of the Month in May when he batted .330 with 8 homeruns and 28 RBI. He’s also proven that he can handle the pressure cooker that is New York, winning the American League MVP award with the team in 2005. The fact is that Rodriguez is and always will be one of the premier players in the game. Despite fans clamoring for GM Brian Cashman to trade the third-baseman, A-Rod will once again prove to be an asset for the Yankees at the hot corner.

First base looks to be a platoon situation for the Yankees this year. This winter New York acquired former Red Sox Doug Mientkiewicz, who batted .283 with 4 homeruns and 43 RBI for the Royals last year. The left-hander will see most of his at-bats against right-handed pitchers, and will likely be a common defensive replacement when there’s a left-hander on the mound. Known for his glovework, Mientkiewicz won a gold glove in 2001 and has the major league’s second best fielding percentage (.996, behind Travis Lee) among first basemen since his debut in 1998. The second half of the platoon will be filled either by Andy Phillips, who has been tearing up the Yankee’s farm system for several years now, or Josh Phelps, whom the Yankees acquired in this year’s Rule-5 draft. Phillips spent a good chunk of time with the big club in 2006 but failed to continue with the success he found in the minors, hitting just .240 with 7 homeruns and 29 RBI in 246 at-bats. Phelps was phenomenal in the Tiger’s system last year, batting .308 with 24 homeruns and 90 RBI for Triple-A Toledo. The two will battle for the position during spring training, and may see some competition from Juan Miranda, whom the Yankees acquired as an undrafted free agent this winter. Jason Giambi, like Ortiz, will spend most of the season at DH, but will likely play the field during inter-league play or when another Yankees slugger needs a break from defense. Miguel Cairo resigned with the Bombers this year and will probably spell A-Rod at third during his rare days off.


Bottom Line: The disparity at the corners isn’t as big this year as it was in 2006. The Sox will probably see more production from Youkilis than the Yankees see from Mientkiewicz and Phillips/Phelps, but even after Mike Lowell’s comeback season and Alex Rodriguez’s off-season, A-Rod is still the better hitter. Defensively, the Sox will easily trump the Yankees at the corners, but New York will ultimately see more production at the plate.