Say It Ain’t So: J.D. Drew May Be Done After 2011 Season

It’s hard to believe J.D. Drew is entering the final year of the five-year deal he signed with the Boston Red Sox, and that he’s 35.

At Florida State University in the mid-1990s, the lefty with an effortless swing crushed the cover off the ball, becoming the first player in collegiate history to mash 30 homers and swipe 30 bases in the same season.

He was so good that he drew comparisons to the great Mickey Mantle. He would be the second-coming, they said.

He hasn’t been. And, 13 years after scouts and analysts uttered his and Mantle’s name in the same sentence, Drew may hang up his spikes following the 2011 season.

The Philadelphia Phillies drafted him second overall in 1997 but did not meet the demands of Drew and his agent, one Scott Boras.

Being Boras, he desired an exorbitant amount for his client. He thought Drew was worth a $10 million contract out of the gate. This was an astounding sum, stunning many around baseball.

Philadelphia thought they might back away from that after Drew was drafted, and that a deal could be hashed out. None was, as Drew and Boras wouldn’t budge.

Drew played for the St. Paul Saints of the Independent Northern League that season and part of the next before entering the 1998 draft.

After hitting 25 homers, batting over .360, and getting on base at a 47 percent clip for the Saints, he was selected fifth overall by St. Louis, and signed for $6,785,000. Phillies fans have booed him ever since.

The 22-year-old spent all of 45 games in the minors, then, upon being called up by the Cardinals, smacked five homers in his first 14 games in the majors. He was the real deal. But then he wasn’t.

As his career with St. Louis progressed, he showcased his incredible talent, impeccable stride, home-run power, and speed.

But the Cardinals would have to relish the time he was on the field, doing the many things he did so well, because he seemingly spent more time at the doctor’s office.

He quickly became Mr. Disabled List, also nicknamed Nancy Drew by disgruntled Cardinals fans and, of course, Phillies fans.

Every season with the Cardinals he was on the disabled list at least once, spanning six years. During his tenure he never played more than 135 games, and he appeared in over 109 only twice.

He batted fairly well, got on base at a respectable clip, but soon Drew was 27, without a 30-plus homer season, an MVP, or an All-Star game appearance. All that talent, all that potential, unable to live up to his college and minor league name.

Drew was traded in late 2003 to the Atlanta Braves for a package that included future ace Adam Wainwright, who is now sadly on the shelf after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

The Georgia native produced there, staying extraordinarily healthy given his reputation, playing in all but 17 games and hitting 30-plus homers for the first time. But, as a free-agent at season’s end, his stay was short. The Los Angeles Dodgers were his next stop.

He signed a five-year, $55 million deal, but made $152,177 per game, more than the Dodgers would have liked, as that sum amounted to just 72 appearances in 2004.

An injured wrist was the latest injury, joining the back, hip, hand, oblique, shoulder and hamstring. The wrist is one of the worst body parts a hitter can injure, given the rotation and power that is needed to contribute.

He recovered, plating 100 runs in 2005, and wisely took the out-clause in his contract. More money could be had, even given his lack of durability.

He was still in his prime, at 30, and there was still a hope out there that he could still be a milder version of Mantle. It was a fool’s hope, but Boras made sure Drew received star money.

Boston signed him to a five-year, $70 million deal, but on the condition an all-important clause be included.

The team could opt out of the deal after the third or fourth year if injuries (particularly those previously sustained to his shoulder) recurred and kept him on the shelf for an extended period of time.

He hasn’t appeared in more than 140 games with the Red Sox, nor driven in more than 68 runs, but he’s still there, manning right field as he always has, providing a respectable bat and a solid glove…albeit not what they paid $14 million annually for.

He did manage to earn it in 2007 with one swing of the bat, however. The $14 million Grand Slam, it was called by ESPN’s Bill Simmons, a blast to center-field off Cleveland Indians ace Fausto Carmona (who, at 23, had won 19 games that season) in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, helping Boston stave off elimination in a series they would eventually win.

It was incredible and came completely out of the blue. Read the reactions from Simmons readers in that article to really get a feel for what kind of player Drew was in the eyes of many.

There’s no beating around the bush: he was an overpaid, oft-injured outfielder unable to live up to exceedingly high expectation. But that sad truth was set aside that night in Boston. He was a hero.

He was celebrated as he was supposed to be throughout his career. They were supposed to say, ‘And Drew does it again! They were right, he is the 21st century version of Mantle.’ Instead, utter bewilderment took its place.

Since, Drew has been the player he’s been throughout his career: 20 homers, 60-plus RBI, a .280 batting average, while missing 30 games or so. To that, the question ‘What could have been?’ is often followed by a shake of the head.

His baseball life hasn’t turned out the way he would have liked, nor how scouts, coaches, fans, teammates, and front-office personnel envisioned. But it is what it is.

And now 2011 might be his last go-around, manning right-field for the fifth straight year in Boston, dealing with the tricky corner in Fenway Park.

After all the ups and downs: back injuries, wrist injuries, hamstring injuries; you name it, he’s had it. He will go out there as many times as his body allows, playing for the Thrill of the Grass and the cool $14 million, still with the buttery-smooth swing and graceful strides that will produce their fair share of cheers.

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