J.d. Drew
D." 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).
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 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. Paul in the 1997 season, Drew was selected fifth overall in 1998 by the St.
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. 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 93 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. 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. 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.
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. I don't know if I would have gotten anyone out, but I'd have thrown something up there."
Drew continued his postseason excellence on October 3, 2008 in game two of the 2008 ALDS vs the Los Angeles Angeles of Anahiem with a go-ahead two run home run.
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," "Princess Drew" 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 smoother than butter, and long, measured strides that eat up great chunks of real estate, whether running the bases or tracking down fly balls."
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.
They have a son, Jack David, born on February 19, 2006, and a daughter, Ella, born on November 7, 2007.