This team is missing the element of speed. You can all scream and yell that Ells was not worth the money, and I will not argue with you on that point. People will also ppoh pooh the value of a stolen base. However, that weaponized speed of his was not just about the stolen base. It was about the fear that it put in other teams. Every time he was on base, defenses had to give him a lot of attention. Every time he hit a ground ball to teh left side of the infield his speed put pressure on the defense. He forced miscues. Also, his speed forced pitchers to throw more fastball to Pedroia, and Pedroia is a dead red hitter. He will see a much different selection of pitches this season.