Red Sox v. Yankees ‘07: Middle Infield

Red Sox Shortstop and Second: The Red Sox, for the third year in a row, will see a complete turnover in the middle-infield to start the 2007 season. The positions have been experiencing the so-called “revolving door” syndrome for years now, but in Julio Lugo and Dustin Pedroia the front office hopes to finally see some multiple-season stability up the middle. After proving himself to be a thorn in the Red Sox side during his three and a half seasons in Tampa Bay (and thus becoming one of the most coveted players in the Theo Epstein era), the Red Sox finally acquired shortstop Julio Lugo this winter and are set to slot him into the leadoff spot. Since his debut with Houston in 2000, Lugo has maintained a .277 average with 68 homeruns and a .340 on-base percentage. Lugo was a rock in the Devil Ray’s lineup, but experienced a drop-off in his performance after his mid-season trade to the Dodgers last year. I find it hard to fault him for this, though, considering he experienced almost no stability after the trade; he was playing with a new team, in a new league, all the way on the west coast, and the Dodgers played him more at second and third base than they did at short. His signing with the Red Sox will put him back in a familiar environment - he’s found a lot of success playing in the AL East and, in particular, at Fenway Park. In fact, in his 115 career at-bats at Fenway, Lugo has hit at a .330 clip with 16 runs scored and a .384 on-base percentage. Lugo is a very athletic shortstop with good speed and some pop - he looks to score a lot of runs out of the leadoff spot for the Sox, and he‘s capable of stealing 30 or more bases depending on how often Terry Francona chooses to give him the green light. His defense isn’t the best in the league, but it’s not anything near the worst, either.

Meanwhile, rookie Dustin Pedroia will try to shake off his unimpressive debut last year and prove that he has what it takes to be an important part of the Red Sox lineup. In 89 at-bats with the Sox Pedroia hit just .191 with two homeruns and seven RBI. However, in his 1094 minor league at-bats previous to his debut with the big club, Pedroia maintained a .305 average with 23 homers and 140 RBI. In 2006 for Pawtucket he hit .305 with 50 RBI and 30 doubles, so clearly he can produce at the plate. It will just be a matter of adjusting to major-league pitching and major-league pressure, which I believe Pedroia is capable of doing. His work ethic and plate discipline translate well into major-league success, and he’s not going to have a ton of pressure batting ninth. As for defense, Pedroia is as good as they come. He has more professional experience at shortstop, but his build and scrappiness make him perfect for the second base role.

Backing up in the middle infield will once again be Alex Cora, who resigned with the Red Sox for two years and $4 million. Cora is one of the better infield backups in recent Sox history, and not because he’s a particularly great bench hitter. He just knows the game of baseball, and he’s extremely consistent in the field. If Pedroia doesn’t produce at second, Francona will be more than happy to start Cora everyday, especially since Alex tends to hit better when he gets consistent at-bats. Even with limited play, Cora usually makes something happen at the plate, making him a good option to back up shortstop and second base.

Yankees Shortstop and Second: The Yankees return two of their most consistent players to the middle infield this season, both of whom took home Silver Slugger awards in 2006. Arguably the best shortstop in the game, Derek Jeter boasts a career .317 average and .388 on-base percentage. Since his Rookie-of-the-Year campaign in 1996, Jeter has averaged 77.5 RBI and almost 17 homeruns per year. His power numbers aren’t the best at the position, but he has a knack for coming up with the big hit when it’s most needed, as evidenced by his career .307 average with runners in scoring position. Jeter stepped up to another level last season, making a serious push for American League MVP while batting .343 with a .417 on-base percentage and knocking in a career-second 97 runs (bested only in 1999 when he had 102 RBI). Derek has only failed to score 100 runs once since his rookie year (2003 - 87), making him a very dangerous bat near the top of an extremely dangerous lineup. Jeter is also one of the most exciting defensive players to watch. A three time Gold Glove winner (including last season), he gets to a ton of balls and has a really strong arm, and he can astound crowds with his acrobatic and sometimes reckless fielding maneuvers. Yet even though he’s never afraid to put his body on the line to make the play, he’s still averaged 151 plus games played every year since ‘96. No matter how many question marks the Yankees have on their roster, Derek Jeter is certainly not one of them.

Over at second the Yanks feature one of the better young infielders in the game in Robinson Cano. In 2006 Cano came in third in the league in batting average behind Jeter and the Twins’ Joe Mauer, hitting at an impressive .342 pace. He also had 15 homeruns and 78 RBI - pretty sweet numbers for a bottom-of-the-order hitter. In all likelihood, Cano will continue to blossom into one of the best second basemen in the league. He made the All-Star team in his sophomore season and was named AL Player of the Month in September. He isn’t as spectacular with the glove as is Jeter, but he may be more reliable, with just 9 errors to Jeter’s 15. Regardless, the two can turn a double-play as good as any tandem in the league.

The Yankee’s backup infielder will be Miguel Cairo once again in 2007. He’s not an incredible bench presence, but he’s decent enough, carrying a .239 average last season with 30 RBI and 13 stolen bases. He’s also capable of playing every infield position, plus some outfield. His versatility is an important factor when it comes to his playing time, considering that Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter aren’t known for taken many days off, and you can be sure Joe Torre will keep Cano in the lineup as often as possible. Cairo will be lucky to gather 200 at-bats this season, but he’ll do an okay job when he’s asked to.

Bottom Line: No question, the Yankees have not only a better middle infield picture than the Red Sox, but probably better than most teams in the league. Derek Jeter is simply incomparable, and Cano is turning out to be another gem formed in the rough of the Yankee farm system. The Sox will be probably see some decent production up the middle, but the Yankees definitely will, and then some.