Ellsbury Vs Crisp: Who Should Be the Red Sox Starting CF?

Until Drew is healthy and can play, both Crisp and Ellsbury will be in the lineup. If you go for offense and speed at the top of the lineup, then the choice is Ellsbury, who can hold his own in the outfield as well. Crisp provides stellar defense as one of the top defensive outfielders in the league, but his bat is inconsistent (hitting .264 and .268 in his two seasons in Boston after batting .300 and .297 in his final two seasons in Cleveland) and he has just 50 doubles and 14 homers in two seasons for the Sox; he had 42 doubles and 16 homers in his final season for the Indians.

Last year, Francona stuck with Pedroia, who was in his first full season in the big leagues, even though the rookie was hitting around .200 over the first two months of the season. He was rewarded, as were Red Sox fans, with the AL Rookie of the Year and a major part of the lineup and the infield through the summer and into the playoffs.

This year, Francona and Theo Epstein need to do the same with the centerfield job. Ellsbury should be the choice and the everyday starting centerfielder, while Crisp should be traded for either bullpen help or some pitching/hitting prospects. The Cubs would seem to be a logical landing spot, as Felix Pie is terrible and the Cubs could benefit from the defensive skills of a Crisp.

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