Carl Crawford Surgery Imminent; Further Prolongs Bust Status
If reports out of Boston are true, Red Sox left fielder
Carl Crawford‘s season is about to come to a close.
, among others, are reporting that Crawford will undergo surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. The legendary “Tommy John Surgery” will be performed by Dr. James Andrews on Thursday.
As a position player, the surgery will sideline Crawford for the next 6-8 months, putting him in line to return to the team in time for the season opener in 2013.
For Crawford and the Red Sox, this is the end to another disappointing season for the high-profile acquisition from 2011, one in which saw him not make his season debut until July 16th after later wrist surgery and then the discovery of the elbow ailment.
His time in Boston has been derailed by ineffectiveness at the plate and an inability to stay healthy. A prominent signing from the last regime in Boston, Crawford is in the second season of a 7-year, $142 million contract with the Red Sox. During the first two years of the deal, Crawford has played in exactly 161 games, putting up the following stat line:
| Year | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOS (2 yrs) | 161 | 623 | 88 | 162 | 39 | 9 | 14 | 75 | 23 | 6 | 26 | 126 | .260 | .292 | .419 | .711 | 87 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/20/2012.
While most of his peripheral stats are in lines with his career norms, his lack of ability to get on base consistently and the near-complete loss of his speed on the base paths have been a stark reminder to fans that Crawford is not the player Boston thought they were getting. An odd signing to begin with, Crawford’s inability to perform to his high standards have made him a target of fans looking for reasons to why the current rendition of the Red Sox is failing so badly.
Maybe the surgery will do wonder in bringing back the Crawford of old and maybe it will make the last five years of his contract worth more than the first two. But fans in Boston are not holding their breath any longer, and it is almost impossible to see a way that Crawford could ultimately succeed in their eyes.