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That has not been my argument to this point. The difference is i equate him to the player currently occupying the 2nd spot, which is Dustin Pedroia. I have said time and time again that the reason why he shouldn't bat second, is because the guy batting second is a better hitter, meaning that in essence, he shouldn't. Moving the better player based on the assumed comeback of a player who is inferior anyways makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. While we're at it, let's give Melancon the closer's spot, because he closed last year, and he prefers closing, even though when both are healthy, Bailey is clearly the better pitcher. Who's twisting words here? Not given 2011. Given his career. He is not a better hitter in any aspect other than raw speed than Dustin Pedroia, and he's not good enough to justify moving the only real source of RH power out of the cleanup spot. Why play him there until he fails and then try to move him? As Boomer said, he needs to be given a role and stick to it. You're talking about not wrecking his confidence, then present a position where if he doesn't succeed, the course of action would be something that messes with his confidence. Also, people overvalue Crawford's abilities massively. He's not better than any hitter occupying the top five spots. And that's not a knock on Crawford, it was a stupid move by the FO because he honestly doesn't fit on the team. Because it doesn't help your argument? It's a perfect comparison. Guy comes to Boston making big bucks being expected to bat in the middle of the order. Struggles out of the gate, settles in the lower half of the lineup and excels (when healthy) but never "lives up" to his contract. The armchair psychology about Crawford need not apply here. What matters is production, and on that note, on his best year, Crawford is not better than Pedroia on an average year.

Those misused talents brought about a sub-700 OPS last year, which is abysmal. I understand that this is not BV's or CC's fault, but this is the hand they've been dealt. The "money is always an issue" thing is overplayed. It's not living in fantasy land to point out JD Drew hitting 8th while being the highest paid player on the team. If he hits, he could hit 2nd. If he doesn't, he shouldn't.

Not convenient at all. It's the truth. A player telling the manager where he "needs" to bat is prima-donna attitude. My fandom of Crawford doesn't blind me to that fact. Crawford wasn't dogging it, which i agree with, but he simply wasn't productive. We've spoken about the culture of this team changing, and this is part of the problem. Forget about comfort zones and all that ******** and force these guys making millions of dollars to play hard and forget about the rest. The rest is up to the manager. He's being paid 20 mill per season to win ballgames, not to play manager. If the best lineup for this team has Crawford hitting 7th, then he should hit 7th, just like JD Drew when he was the best-paid player on the team and had hit 3rd or 6th all of his career. The Red Sox need to take a hard stance with this type of nonsense. No hand outs to anyone. Production over coddling. It's just not reasonable to think of moving a guy who is extremely productive around like Pedroia, for a guy who in his best years isn't as good as he is. It's just not, and money shouldn't be a factor in the argument either.

I don't think that's a good approach though. Besides, it doesn't have to be "burying him in the lineup". They would employ his considerable skills to to lengthen the lineup. Let the media spin it like that. Besides, if he's setting the world on fire and stealing bases left and right and Salty and Aviles have career years, the media can spin it as it being a direct results of Carl's selfless acceptance of the 6 or 7 spot. Also, i just don't understand the face-heel turn. You've been ragging on the selfishness of the players from months, yet don't want Crawford to bite the bullet and take one for the team like a professional team player should. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

It's not "convenient". It's fact. He hit well there, and it's recorded in the numbers. Also, Crawford doesn't "deserve" anything. He's not a better hitter than any of the top five and none of them should be moved just to accommodate him. That is, once again, the mindset that got the Red Sox into the shitfest they ended 2011 on.

Valentine also knows Crawford struggled last year. He will look to maximize production by putting the lineup that has the most chance to produce out there. Also, i don't think the Gonzales-Youkilis argument holds water because a healthy Youkilis puts up similar overall numbers to Gonzales, even if Gonzales is a bit better and obviously younger. One thing that is also a problem is the fact that Crawford has pronounced split problems. That's what really seals the deal for me.

But the point of the less substantial one is debunking the myth that he "can't" hit in the bottom of the other. Also, his slash from the two hole is substantially below the .851 from Pedroia, with a .381 OBP, which is the most important stat from the first two spots. I don't see the justification of moving Pedroia from there for Crawford, unless Crawford can outperform him.

I do like the idea of Pedroia hitting 3rd, but what i'm advocating here is not for keeping Crawford in the bottom third for the sake of hitting him in the bottom, but rather to help the team lengthen the lineup, and maximize his utility.

I am taking into account his career production. That is the whole point. He's a tweener, and he was never a good fit for the Sox. Also, he had his best numbers hitting at the bottom of the lineup last year, a point people conveniently forget. It's not "cutting you nose to spite your face". It's common sense. This team needs every run it can score next year, and to do that, they need to have the best lineup on the field as much as possible. That lineup does not have Crawford hitting second. I like the guy, but i don't let my fandom interfere with the big picture.

I wouldn't have an issue if we didn't have a superior option hitting second. But we do. That superior option should be hitting there. Their production doesn't "diminish", but you upset the order and take away AB's from more productive hitters, regardless of how little that amount may be. This is a big "what if", and he OPS'd .742 and .915 in almost 300 AB's hitting 6th and 7th last year. I don't see the argument. We already have a hitter who can do all of that and better in Ellsbury. Pedroia has better contact, power and good speed, and is worlds ahead in OBP. The big boppers should hit three, four and five. Look, i respect your opinion, but i just don't see a reason to hit Crawford in a spot where any of the current players outperformed him last year and outperform him over their careers.

This line of thinking is exactly what got the Red Sox into the sewer they currently navigate. Production, not salary, should dictate his lineup spot.

I don't think his 2009 or 2010 slash lines are good enough to justify moving anyone else from the top five, but that's just me.

No i'm not. Even at his best, he's an .800 OPS hitter who can steal bases and has platoon issues. He is what he is. Ellsbury, Pedroia, Gonzales, Youkilis, and Ortiz are all better hitters, and should hit in that order. That's not even debatable.

He's a professional baseball player. Better hitters than him have hit in the bottom third of high-powered lineups and remained productive. This is a bit overblown. Also, he supposedly was uncomfortable hitting in the bottom third of the order, yet OPS'd .915 there. It may be SSS, but it also says that he obviously wasn't that affected by it. Yeah that's a lot of speculation. When he proves that he's "the player that we signed" he can earn his way up the batting order. The team doesn't have to hand out anything to Crawford.

Aren't you one of the guys who's been preaching all off-season about the need for team-first mentality? Team-first mentality has Crawford at the bottom third of the order. It doesn't matter how much money he makes. He doesn't get on-base enough to hit leadoff, he wouldn't be better than Pedey hitting second, and he doesn't have enough power to hit in the middle. At the bottom, however, he lengthens the lineup and he could make the hitters behind him better by terrorizing opposing pitchers when he does get on base.

I think it's the other way around. Specially considering that anyone he were to displace from the 1 through 6 spots had way better seasons that he did. He is one player. He has to adapt to the lineup, not the other way around.

As of right now, Crawford is not the hitter you're making him out to be, and he should hit in the bottom of the order until he proves he's back to his old form.

The problem is that every cheap player takes up a roster spot, and that's a limit that you don't have to deal with when you're buying penny stocks. They're both cheap, they both have limited reward possibility, but one carries with it a lot more responsibility given the nature of roster construction.