Ellsbury immensely valuable sparking surging Red Sox

Jacoby Ellsbury (right) has been celebrating with his teammates a lot lately, igniting the streaking Boston Red Sox. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)

Jacoby Ellsbury was coming off a tremendous 2008 season with the Boston Red Sox, looking to somehow improve upon his 188-hit, 98-run, .299-batting average, 70-stolen base campaign as their leadoff hitter. Manager Terry Francona had all the confidence in his abilities atop a deadly order, but the Oregon State product suffered a setback, fracturing four ribs in a collision with Adrian Beltre early into the 2009 season. He was put on the shelf, without a definitive timetable to return.

Rib injuries can greatly hinder a baseball player, especially someone with Ellsbury’s versatility. Rotating on a swing is difficult enough, never mind trying to steal bases. Not surprisingly, when he did come back later that season, he struggled and then was forced to head on the DL again. His season was lost, but he rehabbed, used the offseason to his advantage, watched the Red Sox wisely pull back on the temptation of trading him, and entered Spring Training yet again as their facilitator.

This time around, he hasn’t suffered an injury. All he has done is hit.

In 2009 without his talent in the lineup, Boston was left with a definitive hole. All the sudden they didn’t have a true leadoff hitter. Darnell McDonald carried most of the load, while Dustin Pedroia handled the reigns at times as well. They, among others, performed admirably to try to fill his shoes, but the team had a different identity. They didn’t have a stolen base threat, so there was more pressure to get a flurry of hits at once. It was a chore, and their inability to replace him played a role in a disappointing 89-73 finish, out of the playoff picture.

What a difference a healthy Ellsbury makes. He is on pace to obliterate his 2009 numbers, becoming one of the more impressive and well-rounded hitters, and Boston has the second-most wins. At times throughout his career he has been frustrating, rolling over pitches and bounding out for harmless groundouts. That Jacoby Ellsbury hasn’t shown up this season. Instead, he has more drive through his swing, more leg power, more fluidity, and, as a result, a tremendous increase in production.

He went 3-5 with three runs scored in Boston’s series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays, fueling a seventh-straight victory. In those seven games he has an astounding 15 hits, and has scored nine times, driven in five runs, hit a homer, and stolen four bases. This tremendous stretch, leading to series sweeps of Oakland and New York, has raised his average from .293 to .316, and, more importantly, has increased his On-Base-Percentage to .375.

“It’s fun,” Ellsbury said to the Boston Herald. “We’re winning, everyone’s having a good time, and it’s nice contributing to W’s.”

The reason for behind his success? “Sticking to my approach,” he told WEEI.com. “That’s been the biggest thing, just trying to drive the ball.” And is he ever, spraying lasers all over the field. Currently, he has more doubles, 21, than rbi-machine Adrian Gonzalez. To put this in perspective, his career high for a season, in 91 more games, is 27. To boot, he has seven homers, more than some of the league’s most renowned sluggers, Adam Dunn, Matt Holliday, David Wright, and Vladimir Guerrero. His OPS (On-Base-Percentage plus Slugging) is tied with Yankee Alex Rodriguez, and is 25 points higher than the great Albert Pujols’ mark.

Clearly, he’s on fire, and only looks up to Jose Reyes in the leadoff hitting department. Can he keep producing at this amazing pace? It is a long season. Kinks in swings come about. So do injuries. But, considering his improved strength in the offseason, his confidence level, and approach, no slump is in sight–for him or his Red Sox.

(AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)