Crawford out Indefinitely

It has been announced that LF Carl Crawford has a sprained ligament in his left elbow and is now out indefinitely.  The injury was first diagnosed by Boston's medical staff and was then confirmed by Dr. James Andrews, with the outfielder undergoing blood-platelet spinning therapy (which doesn't work by most accounts) and deciding to sit out during the first phases of treatment.  There is no timetable for Crawford's return, but it has been speculated by joint doctors who work as technical advisers with Boston media outlets that the injury should sideline him for about three months.

Crawford batted .255 with 11 homers, 56 runs batted in, and 18 stolen bases last season, the first in a seven-year, $142 million contract.

Crawford to Undergo Elbow Exam

LF Carl Crawford will have his sore left elbow examined by the dreaded Dr. James Andrews.  Crawford began the season on the disabled list due to left wrist surgery in January and appeared to be primed for his season debut until experiencing elbow soreness in rehab games.  Manager Bobby Valentine said that Crawford will get a second opinion on the elbow and that the team does not believe the injury to be serious (but that's most likely bullshit if Crawford is visiting Dr. Andrews), although he was forced to admit that Crawford's estimated time of return in early May is no longer realistic.

Crawford batted a slightly disappointing .255 last season, with 11 homers, 56 runs batted in, and a hugely disappointing 18 stolen bases and a .289 on-base percentage, and that in the first season of a seven-year, $142 million contract.  In addition, Crawford's mounting injuries come on the heels of CF Jacoby Ellsbury's assignment to the disabled list (shoulder) with no timetable for a return and the questionable acquisition of CF Marlon Byrd from the Cubs.

Jeter tops in Jersey Sales

SS Derek Jeter, the newest member of the 3,000-hit-club, led all Major League players in jersey sales last year.  Amongst the top-20 players in jersey sales last year, 12 were All-Stars, 14 played on a postseason team, and players from 11 different teams were represented, though the Yankees and Phillies had four players each on the list (including Jeter at number one).

The list:

1.  Jeter
2.  LHP Cliff Lee, Philadelphia
3.  1B Albert Pujols, St. Louis/Angels (signed in 2011 calendar year)
4.  LF Josh Hamilton, Texas
5.  RHP Roy Halladay, Philadelphia
6.  RHP Tim Lincecum, San Francisco
7.  2B Dustin Pedroia, Boston
8.  LF Ryan Braun, Milwaukee
9.  RF Hunter Pence, Philadelphia
10.  C Buster Posey, San Francisco
11.  2B Chase Utley, Philadelphia
12.  C Joe Mauer, Minnesota
13.  RHP Justin Verlander, Detroit
14.  1B Adrian Gonzalez, Boston
15.  3B Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
16.  2B Ian Kinsler, Texas
17.  2B Robinson Cano, Yankees
18.  RHP Mariano Rivera, Yankees
19.  LF Carl Crawford, Boston
20.  3B David Freese, St. Louis

Red Sox Left Fielders

The Red Sox are attempting to recover from a disastrous collapse in 2011.  They have chosen to employ the band-aid method, retaining all of the players that were successful while attempting to patch up some of the holes which developed on the team last season.  One area with a returning player is left field.

1.  Carl Crawford:  Crawford had a decent season last year, batting .255, although he didn't provide much of a punch at the top of the order and he struck out an alarming 104 times, compared to only 23 walks.  So far his season this year is in jeopardy, as he underwent wrist surgery in the off-season and is expected to miss the beginning of the season, at least.  The Red Sox are hoping that Crawford can recover his health and return to his Tampa Bay form.

2.  Cody Ross:  Ross was signed as a free agent from San Francisco in the off-season.  He had a bad year for San Francisco last season, batting .240 and struggling in the spacious AT&T Ballpark.  The Red Sox are hoping that Ross can provide good defense in the corner outfield spots and some right-handed power off the bench, possibly in a semi-platoon role with DH David Ortiz.

3.  Darnell McDonald:  The Red Sox brought McDonald back from 2011 to serve as the team's fourth outfielder.  McDonald did not fare well last season, as he batted .236 in 157 at-bats.  But McDonald will have bigger shoes to fill this season as he is expected to be the team's starting right fielder.

The Red Sox look okay in left field.  Expectations on Crawford are still high, and even if he doesn't reach them (as they are a bit unrealistic) a decent average and more steals would be welcome.  Ross has a ton of power and has been a good player in the past and could be a good bench player for Boston.  McDonald is a good fourth outfielder, although starting in right field may be a tall order.