Jacoby is finally back

Photo Courtesy of the Herald
Jacoby Ellsbury is finally back to the player that we know and love. So what's that mean? Well, if you're a fan of another team, that means trouble. If you're a Red Sox fan (at least if you're like me), you're thinking "Yeah, playoffs here we come!" Having Jacoby as a leadoff guy means trouble for opposition because you don't worry just about him getting on base, you worry about what he does on the base (see: 5 steals against Philly). This is when he's at his best, when he's getting base hits and walks, even though this is not his best statistical year. We don't need him to blast 32 home runs, we need him to get base hits and cause chaos on the base paths, because I feel that's the kind of game he should be playing. Leave the home runs to David Ortiz.


But I digress. Back to this year. As we all know, he got off to a rough start, and then he was out with an injury after he had the 5 stolen base game earlier this year. It finally seems that he's found a rthym this year. And it's a good thing too. One, we need him stealing bases, and two, it's a good sign for him. Why? Because he'll make bank in free agency if he finishes with a good year, whether with us (hopefully with us - unlikely, though) or another team. Of course, a run late into October would help that cause. And his numbers at this point in the season suggests he can and will help us do exactly that. Lets take a look, shall we? Over the last 22 games, he's gone 33-93 (.355) with 18 steals, according to the Boston Herald. The power hasn't been at 2011 levels this year, but like I said earlier, that's not his game. His game is getting on base and getting steals. That's the most effective way to use him.

Twitter - @ConorJF1016
Conor Frederick
Contributing Writer