Josh Reddick: Boston Red Sox Outfielder Gradually Solidifying MLB Credentials

Before anyone in Red Sox Nation gets too giddy and campaigns to declare Josh Reddick a full-time successor for J.D. Drew without delay, there is one note of caution.

Yes, even after almost a month’s worth of major league appearances, he tops Boston’s chart with a .367 batting average. His recent performances have doubtlessly earned him more frequent appearances.

And at this hour, especially with Carl Crawford reintegrating himself post-injury in left and center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury on an endless tear, Reddick is the most ideal candidate to supplement the outfield ahead of Drew and Darnell McDonald.

But Reddick’s last three offensive performances have been against one of MLB’s pitching cellar dwellers.

As of the final out in Wednesday’s 4-0 Red Sox victory, Reddick had assumed Drew’s usual post in right field for the whole game and logged his second straight multihit performance.

Meanwhile, though, the host Baltimore Orioles had a No. 30-ranked ERA of 4.85, and only the Kansas City Royals had allowed more runs on the year.

Reddick roughed up the O’s with six hits in 13 plate appearances over the three-game series, but most any responsible Red Sox batter could have been expected to do the same. He only jutted out with three hits in Tuesday night’s 6-2 loss because the rest of the team combined for merely five.

When the Orioles visited Fenway Park less than two weeks ago, Reddick logged a statistically similar bushel of five hits in nine opportunities. Once in each series at Fenway and Camden Yards, he matched a season high with three hits in a game.

The only other team to let Reddick swat his way on base that often in a day this year? The Detroit Tigers, who as of this report stood at No. 19 in ERA (4.28) and No. 26 in hits allowed (848).

You want a more reliable barometer? Wait until this weekend, when Reddick and his mates reel in the Seattle Mariners for three tilts on Yawkey Way. Despite their hapless 43-53 record and two-week victory drought, the Mariners actually went into Wednesday evening’s bout with the Blue Jays ranking sixth overall on the major league ERA leaderboard at 3.28.

And among American League teams, only the Tampa Bay Rays and the Mariners have allowed a smaller number of hits than the Red Sox.

With all this being said, no one should take the forthcoming challenge as off-putting on Reddick’s behalf. After all, while most of the teams the youngster has exploited this year are in the lower echelon among pitching staffs, he has also cultivated notable numbers at the expense of one of the game’s most celebrated stables.

Take a glance back to the end of last month and recall that Reddick saw action in two of three games during the Red Sox’s visit to Philadelphia. Confronting the likes of Vance Worley and Cole Hamels, Reddick collected two hits and scored a run twice in as many days. Against Worley, he was the only Boston batter with more than one hit as he accounted for two of the team’s five.

There is no reason Reddick could not turn in similar outings against other formidable pitching teams. The thing is he simply has not been tested by very many.

The Tampa Bay Rays stand out in that regard, as they have allowed the fewest hits among all clubs with 743 on their tab. They nearly stifled Reddick altogether last weekend, confining him to only one hit over 10 plate appearances in the three-game series.

On the other hand, the lone hit was a two-run homer at the expense of James Shields last Saturday.

With another dinger in Baltimore this week, Reddick now has four in 28 major league games this season. He previously amassed three in a span of two seasons, playing 27 games in 2009 and 29 last year.

Under every other statistical heading, Reddick has conspicuously eclipsed his previous years in roughly the same window of time. He has at least twice as many hits, triples, runs scored and RBI in 2011 as he had in either of his previous feet-wetting campaigns.

The 24-year-old Reddick has all but confirmed that he will eventually make for a suitable full-timer in Boston’s lineup. Yet there remains the notion, however doubtful it may appear, that Drew can still recover and let his product come closer to matching his handsome salary.

In addition, Reddick has a few baptismal elements to go through. While most of his games the last two seasons were in September, he has yet to go beyond the backseat for a regular season homestretch.

Not to mention, he has not seen any MLB playoff action.

It’s not a matter of if Reddick will bloom. It’s a matter of whether he’ll fully crack his chrysalis now or down the road.

With the itch for a reliable insurance policy in case Drew continues to slump, now would be preferable for the Sox’s sake.

Reddick can start sculpting that insurance as early as this weekend by proving himself against the likes of Felix Hernandez and Michael Pineda.