Jacoby Ellsbury: .275/.352/.388, 34 SBs (89%), 5.8 RC/G, “+” CF Defense

Coco Crisp: .271/.311/.438, 12 SBs (80%), 4.6 RC/G, “+” CF Defense

Earlier in the season, I questioned the popular opinion that Jacoby Ellsbury was a slam dunk to have a better overall season in CF than Coco Crisp.  The rookie immediately set off on the task of making me look foolish, taking the league by storm in April and nearly setting a record for consecutive SBs by a rookie.

He has since come down to Earth a bit after struggling a bit in June (.262 /.276/.333.), but overall, he has clearly outplayed Coco Crisp in 2008.

With David Ortiz finally swinging a bat and poised to return to the lineup in a couple of weeks, one of our two flashy outfielders is about to lose some serious playing time.  At this time, I’d like to backtrack a bit, and say that I prefer Jacoby Ellsbury get the majority of the playing time when Papi returns.

My main reason for this flip-flop: plate discipline.  It’s a trait that Coco never really possessed throughout his entire career, and Jacoby Ellsbury seems to have a taste for it.  He’s still going to have some rough spells (that .276 OBP in June is troubling), but overall, he’s a better bet to reach base than Crisp.  Factor in the 90% SB rate, and Ellsbury becomes an excellent lead-off option for any Major League team.

Another reason: the guy needs playing time to improve.  His ultimate ceiling is pretty high, and at this point the franchise would be best served by letting him play, letting him learn the tendencies of American League pitchers, and letting him get acclimated to the grind of a full season.