J. D. Drew

J. D. Drew
Boston Red Sox – No. 7
Right fielder
Bats: Left Throws: Right
debut
September 8, 1998, for the St. Louis Cardinals
Career statistics (through June 19, 2008)
Batting average	.287
Home runs	186
Runs batted in	616
Stats at Baseball Reference
Teams
St. Louis Cardinals (1998-2003) Atlanta Braves (2004) Los Angeles Dodgers (2005-2006) Boston Red Sox (2007-present)
Career highlights and awards
1x All-Star selection (2008)

David Jonathan Drew (born November 20 1975 in Valdosta, Georgia) is a Major League Baseball right fielder for the Boston Red Sox. He is a left-handed hitter, and began his major league career in 1998 with the St. Louis Cardinals.

College

Drew attended Florida State University, where he played under head coach Mike Martin. At Florida State, he was the winner of the 1997 Dick Howser Trophy, the 1997 Golden Spikes Award, and was named the 1997 Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year, the 1997 Sporting News Player of the Year, and was a consensus All-American (1997). He also was named the 1997 ACC Player of the Year. He was a 1996 member of Team USA. Drew was First Team in 1996, Freshman All-American in 1995 and was named to the College World Series All Tournament Team in 1995. He was the first player in college baseball history to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the same season. He set a Florida State record by batting .455 in 1997 while managing to become one of only three players in college baseball history to have 100 hits, 100 runs and 100 RBI. During his college career, Drew broke 17 school and conference records.

Professional career

1997: Drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies

Drew was the second overall pick in the 1997 Major League Baseball Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. Drew and his agent Scott Boras elected not to sign with the Phillies, sticking to their guarantee that they would not sign for less than $10 million. The Phillies had no plan to pay an unproven player this amount of money, and despite Boras' warnings, drafted Drew nonetheless. Consequently, Drew ended up playing for the St. Paul Saints of the independent Northern League.

1998-2003: St. Louis Cardinals

After playing for St. Paul in the 1997 season, Drew was selected fifth overall in 1998 by the St. Louis Cardinals. He signed a contract and blew through the minor leagues, hitting .316 through 26 games with the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds. He was called to the big club with the rest of the 40-man roster and made his debut on September 8, 1998, the night Mark McGwire broke Roger Maris's single-season home run record. His first at bat, in the 6th inning, ended in a strikeout, and he finished the night 0-for-2. He would heat up, however, going 15-for-36 (.417) during 1998 with five home runs.

On August 10, 1999, in Drew's first appearance at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, he was booed loudly, and even had "D" batteries thrown at him by two fans. Drew struggled to stay healthy, landing on the disabled list every season he played in St. Louis.

Also, St. Louis manager Tony La Russa apparently had concerns about Drew's effort. In his book Three Nights in August, Buzz Bissinger mentions La Russa's frustration with Drew's lack of passion. La Russa tells Bissinger that it seems Drew has decided to "settle for 75%" of his talent, in large part because of his enormous contract.

2004: Atlanta Braves

Drew was traded to the Atlanta Braves in December 2003, where he had the best season of his career while finally managing to stay healthy. In 2004, he displayed excellent power, patience, and defense hitting .305 with 31 home runs, 118 walks, and 96 RBI, finishing 6th in the MVP voting.

2005-2006: Los Angeles Dodgers

In December 2004, Drew signed a five-year, $55 million dollar contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, which included an escape clause after the second year. Roughly halfway through the 2005 season, Drew's season was again cut short after being hit on the wrist by a pitch from Arizona Diamondbacks' pitcher Brad Halsey.

On September 18, 2006, Drew was part of only the fourth ever set of back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs with fellow Dodgers Jeff Kent, Russell Martin, and Marlon Anderson.

In 2006, Drew exercised his contract option clause, forgoing $33 million over the next 3 years to become a free agent. The Dodgers' General Manager Ned Colletti said in a teleconference that he was "surprised how it came down. Everything we had heard, everything that had been written led us to believe the player loved being here." This was especially a surprise since a few days before, Drew had told an LA Times columnist on how happy he was in LA and that he was looking forward to the upcoming 2007 season.

2007-2008: Boston Red Sox

On January 25, 2007, Drew officially signed a five-year contract with the Red Sox worth $70 million. Drew's revised contract has a clause that allows the Red Sox to opt out of Drew's five year contract after three or four years if Drew has extensive injuries due to a previously existing problem in his right shoulder.

For most of the 2007 season, Drew struggled offensively and spent time on the DL (due to a hamstring injury) as well as taking time off from the team to attend to his son's health. Many questioned the value of his large salary due to his mediocre numbers and ordinary defense, but results began to come late into the season, allowing him to bring some confidence into the post-season. During the early part of the season, Drew was again part of a set of four consecutive home runs on April 22, 2007, in a game against the New York Yankees, this time joining with Manny Ramírez, Mike Lowell, and Jason Varitek. He is the only player to participate twice in a string of four straight home runs, and, oddly enough, he was the second player to go deep in each instance. Drew finished the 2007 season with a .270 batting average, 11 homers, and 64 RBI.

On October 20, 2007, Drew hit a grand slam in Game 6 of the 2007 ALCS with the Red Sox facing elimination. The home run, along with brother Stephen Drew's for the Arizona Diamondbacks, marks the third time that two brothers have both hit home runs in the same postseason.

So far in 2008, Drew has improved his offensive resume dramatically. Through June 12, he has a .324 average, with an OBP of .430 and a slugging percentage of .562. At the end of June, Drew was named the AL Player of the Month after hitting .337 and hitting 12 home runs while taking over for David Ortiz's three-spot in the lineup while he was on the disabled list. Drew was officially announced as an A.L. All-Star reserve on July 6th. This is Drews first All-Star game. As of July 10 2008 he is hitting .298 with 16 Home Runs and 53 RBIs.

Public image

Drew has been criticized by fans and the media for his perceived lack of effort, leading to nicknames such as "D.L. Drew," "J.D. Boo" or "Nancy Drew". However, since teammate David Ortiz was placed on the disabled list in May 31st of the 2008 season, Drew has been playing remarkably, earning the Boston Globe's praise as "a five-tools player with an uncanny batting eye, a swing sweeter than butter, and long, measured strides that eat up great chunks of real estate, whether running the bases or tracking down fly balls."

Drew's Playoff Diary

We're very excited here at the Office. Former Brave J.D. Drew has consented to write a periodic diary about his life in baseball. Negotiations were tough -- Scott Boras now owns CD's house -- but I think you'll find it was worth it:

   I guess you guys heard the good news: ol' JD ain't starting tomorrow night. What a relief! That Saberhagen guy is tough. And I got some champagne in my left eye after we beat that California team. It still stings. I told Mr. Francona I think I'm seeing double.

   As a bonus I'll get to sneak into the clubhouse and check out the Hawaii-San Jose State game. I already told my brother Steven that I'm watching FSU tonight. He ain't mad, though. He'd rather be watching football too. Ya'll won't believe this, but they actually like baseball better than football up here. Stupid Yankees!

   Drew_3People say ol' JD had a bad year, but I say they're crazy. I played 140 games! That's like a lot. And .270 is a good average. They don't realize I had to get used to a whole new place. And these people in Boston are mean. Sometimes they yell things at me that hurt my feelings. As a Christian, I don't like hearing the Lord's name taken in vain. There were times I wanted to retire, but Mr. Boras said I wouldn't get my money if I didn't play. That ain't fair, 'cause they already promised it to me. Those are the kind of things the critics don't understand.

   My body hurts all over. And the cold weather makes ol' JD's arthritis act up. Daddy tells me it was 80 degrees in Hahira today, perfect swimmin' hole weather. Wish I was there.

   I guess I'll be playing Saturday night. I don't like all this pressure. People really take it seriously up here, like it's important or something. Heck, you'd think the 'Noles were playing.

   Even though I'm ready for the season to be over, I hope we can win the World Championship 'cause then I'd get a chance to go to the White House and meet my hero, President Bush. I just hope they don't schedule it during huntin' season.

   Well I better get going. My fingers are aching from all this typing.

   Yours in Christ,

   JD Drew

Personal

• Drew's younger brother, Tim, was also drafted in the first round in 1997, making them the first brothers drafted in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft in the same year.
• J.D., Tim, and their brother Stephen have all been on MLB rosters. Tim was last with the Atlanta Braves and Stephen is currently a shortstop with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
• J.D. married his wife, Sheigh, on November 10, 2001, in Hahira, Georgia. They have a son, Jack David, born on February 19, 2006, and a daughter, Ella, born on November 7, 2007.
• Drew identifies himself as a Christian.

See also

• Top 500 home run hitters of all time

External links

• Drew's statistics
• Career statistics from MLB · ESPN · Baseball Reference · Fangraphs · Baseball Reference (Minors)  · Retrosheet