Adrian Gonzalez has taken some heat going into his second year with the Sox. After a near-MVP-caliber year and showing us the best pure hitting we've seen since Manny, people got on him for saying last year's collapse was God's will, and then for excusing away the beer-and-chicken ethos of the clubhouse. People like Chuck flipped out, mostly because it's convenient fodder for sports bloggers and radio folks.
Kirk Minihane covered the subject of Gonzalez's presumed lack of leadership over at WEEI.com. A sample:
Look, I hate writing the words “chicken and beer” at this point. For me, it was overblown from the start — if Clay Buchholz had been healthy or Daniel Bard had been merely lousy instead of horrendous in September this stuff would been completely irrelevant — but we can all agree that it was evidence of a team that, to some degree, lost its way. And for Gonzalez to tell Hannah Storm (who is still a Type A Cougar Free Agent but is starting to slip) that “people have to eat, whether it’s chicken or steak” tells me that he just doesn’t get it. It simply reeks of arrogance and if he cares at all he has to know better.
And that’s not going to change. Gonzalez isn’t going to be Dustin Pedroia-Tedy Bruschi type. He’ll never be embraced. It’s just not his way. Admired, sure, but I don’t think he’ll ever be a “one of us” guy. And that’s OK, as long as he produces somewhere close to an MVP level.
In other words, let's all chill out.
It comes down to two things. First, Adrian Gonzalez is awesome. Minihane doesn't try to say he isn't, but some seem to think that his stats aren't enough. Well, they are. Even with his "slump" in the second half, Adrian put up gaudy numbers: .406 wOBA, .410 OBP, .548 SLG, 6.6 WAR all career highs. He also had his best year defensively at first base, with a 10.8 UZR/150 (he wasn't even at 1.0 in 2010).
Adrian Gonzalez is as good at hitting as anyone in baseball. He's flawless mechanically (to my eye at least; I'm no scout but he looks in more control than our friend Carl Crawford), can hit to all fields, and hits contact and power. I'll take it.
Second, so he's not Dustin Pedroia. Who cares? Do you want 25 Dustin Pedroias on a team? That clubhouse would be insane. It wouldn't work. You need all types, including someone who is measured, doesn't ruffle feathers, and gets his job done. Gonzalez isn't some moody malcontent, he just is exceptional at his job and doesn't have a ton to say. He may not be some kind of fiery motivator, but he does what he needs to do.
One of my friends played ball in college, and when these stories crop up, he notes that the Pedroia types may be reverred by fans, but are often pretty annoying to be around all day long. Think about the most enthusiastic person in your office. They get in early, leave late, talk about synergy, and pimp the company around bosses as much as possible. They might look exceptional from the outside, but they get pretty old to be around all the time. You need some people around them that just do their job and that's it. It balances everything out.
Leave the rah-rahing to Dustin. Gonzalez can just keep raking and we'll be just fine.
