Jacoby Ellsbury is hitting just .242 with a .307 on-base percentage, but Red Sox manager John Farrell has stuck with him in the leadoff spot.
However, the manager did admit to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he’s considering shifting Ellsbury down in the batting order. For his part Ellsbury thinks that would be a mistake, saying: “You’ve seen. You see what happens when I get going.”
Here’s the problem with that line of thinking: Ellsbury has hit just .260 with a .310 on-base percentage in 119 games since the beginning of last season. So yes, while he had a huge 2011 season and is certainly capable of being an excellent leadoff hitter, it’s been quite a while since he was an asset atop the lineup and the Red Sox aren’t lacking in other leadoff options.
