JD Drew
From SoSH
| Born: | November 20, 1975 |
| Birthplace: | Valdosta, Georgia |
| Hometown: | Hahira, Georgia |
| Height: | 6' 1" |
| Weight: | 195 lbs |
| Bats: | Left |
| Throws: | Right |
| Drafted: | 1998: 1st Rd (5th Pick) by the St. Louis Cardinals |
| College: | Florida State University |
| High School: | Lowndes High School (GA) |
| Other Teams: | St. Louis Cardinals 1998-2003 Atlanta Braves 2004 LA Dodgers 2005-2006 |
| Years with Boston: | 2007 - Present |
Contents |
Overall Career
Drew's major league career got off to an inauspicious start. He had hired agent Scott Boras to represent him going into the 1997 draft. Boras had let potential suitors know that Drew was seeking $10 million. The Philadelphia Phillies selected Drew with the second overall pick in the draft, but Drew would never come to terms with the team and has since been vilified by their fans. In fact, Drew claimed he never received any of the three minor league contracts the Phillies sent him. After spending 1997 with the St. Paul Saints of the Independent League, Boras had tried to argue that Drew should be considered a free agent, but a arbitrator ruled Drew would be eligible for the draft.
The St. Louis Cardinals selected J.D. with the fifth pick in the 1998 draft and signed him to a four-year $8.5 million deal. The Cardinals quickly fell in love with their prized prospect, who earned a September call-up in 1998. They were not so enamored with him after the 1999 campaign, which saw him earn a six-week DL trip and struggle both in the field and at the plate (.242, 13HR). The most memorable game came in his Veterans Stadium debut, where Phillies fans jeered Drew and one fan even threw two batteries at him. Despite the spotlight, Drew finished the game with a triple and two RBI, along with a stolen base. Video
Drew would respond in 2004 by having the best season of his major league career. Drew would finish 6th in the NL MVP voting after batting .305 with 31 HR and 96 RBI. Bobby Cox called Drew "the perfect #3 hitter", and Drew helped Atlanta to yet another post-season appearance in 2004. J.D. was granted free agency at the end of the year, and he was on the move again.
The Los Angeles Dodgers represented Drew's third organization in three years. Drew signed a 5 year/$55 million dollar contract, which contained an escape clause after the first two seasons. Drew would play in just 72 games in hist first season in LA after being hit with a pitch in his wrist. In 2006, Drew played a career-high 146 games. However, he went nearly a month without a home run due to shoulder weakness in July. Drew had surgery on the shoulder in 2005 to repair a torn labrum.
As early as November, Drew had been rumored to be heading to Boston. On December 5th, the Red Sox struck a tentative agreement with Drew and Boras on a 5 year/$70 million deal. It would take over seven weeks for the deal to finally be announced Conference Call tanscript. The delay was caused, in part, because the Red Sox and Boras had been busy negotiating a contract for Japanese star Daisuke Matsuzaka. However, the primary reason for the delay was Boston's concern about a pre-existing shoulder injury. The sides agreed to add in an opt out clause for the team after 2010 or 2011 should Drew's shoulder act up.
Amateur Career
- Florida State 1995-1997
J.D. Drew was an outfielder from the small town of Hahira, Ga., near Valdosta. He wasn't a heralded player being recruited by colleges from all over, but it didn't take long for coach Martin to realize that this kid from Hahira was destined for greatness.
Drew had picked up the game of baseball at age 13 playing with his brothers and neighbors in the cow pastures across from his family home. He joined the Boys Club team in Valdosta and from there baseball became his focus. Drew went on to be named the Vikings' best offensive player all four years, all-regional MVP and a member of the Team Georgia All-Star squad his senior year.
Drew's college career was impressive. He rewrote history as he established himself as one of the best hitters in college baseball. He was a consensus first-team All-American after becoming the only player in Division I baseball history to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases. He was named Player of the Year by Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, The Sporting News and the ACC, and received the Dick Howser Award given by the American Baseball Coaches Association.
Drew was also a member of Team USA and crowned the Golden Spikes Award winner, given by USA Baseball to the best amateur baseball player. Drew batted an FSU-record .455 in 1997 while becoming one of just three players in Division I history to record a triple-triple -- 100 hits, 100 runs, 100 RBI.
He broke a total of 17 Florida State and ACC records, including the FSU season batting average, FSU and ACC career slugging percentage and ACC season and career home runs.
Drew completed his third and final season being named to the College World Series All-Decade team and eighth in Baseball America's collegiate "Player of the Century" poll.
Batting Statistics YEAR AVG GP GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB ATT ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1995 .325 64 56 209 54 68 7 3 17 63 132 .632 36 3 54 2 .430 1 1 11 12 1996 .386 69 69 241 90 93 17 5 21 94 183 .759 55 12 53 4 .508 7 2 10 14 1997 .455 67 67 233 110 106 15 5 31 100 224 .961 84 8 37 3 .604 3 1 32 42 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tot .391 200 192 683 254 267 39 13 69 257 539 .789 175 23 144 9 .521 11 4 53 68 Fielding Statistics Year PO AST E FLD% DP ---------------------------- 1995 74 0 0 1.000 0 1996 139 9 6 .961 2 1997 122 2 1 .992 1 ---------------------------- Tot 335 11 7 .980 3
Awards
- 2008 American League All-Star
Moment In The Sun
On September 18, 2006, Drew was part of only the fourth ever set of back-to-back-to-back-to-back homeruns with fellow Dodgers Jeff Kent, Russell Martin, and Marlon Anderson.
In an April 22, 2007 game against the New York Yankees, Drew was again part of a set of four consecutive home runs, this time joining with Manny Ramirez, 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.
In game 6 of the 2007 ALCS[1], Drew took a 3-1 pitch from Fausto Carmona to dead center for a grand slam in the 1st inning. Giving the Red Sox a lead they would not relinquish.
Drew was named the 2008 All-Star Game MVP after going 2-for-4 with 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 ROE, and 1 SB. His two-run home run in the seventh tied the game at 2. Drew led all players in WPA with .583.[2]
Resources
- Weather & J.D. Drew
- 3 Nights in August, covering a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs while he played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2003.
Transactions
- June 2, 1994: Drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 20th round of the 1994 amateur draft, but did not sign.
- June 3, 1997: Drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1st round (2nd pick) of the 1997 amateur draft, but did not sign.
- June 2, 1998: Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1st round (5th pick) of the 1998 amateur draft. Player signed July 3, 1998.
- December 13, 2003: Traded by the St. Louis Cardinals with Eli Marrero to the Atlanta Braves for Jason Marquis, Ray King, and Adam Wainwright.
- October 28, 2004: Granted Free Agency.
- December 23, 2004: Signed as a Free Agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
- January 26, 2007: Signed as a free agent by the Boston Red Sox.
External Links
- TheBaseballCube.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
- Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
- J.D. Drew at ESPN.com
