Player Previews: Jacoby Ellsbury

Jacoby stealing home.

Today we will look at speedster and newly appointed left fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, his 2009 statistics, his career highs in parentheses, and a 2010 outlook.

Games: 153 (new career high)
Average: .301 (.353, 2007 in 116 ABs)
On-Base Percentage: .355 (.394, 2007 in 116 ABs)
Slugging Percentage: .415 (.509, 2007 in 116 ABs)
On Base plus Slugging: .770(.902, 2007 in 116 ABs)
Home runs: 8 (9, 2008)
Runs Batted In: 60 (new career high)
Runs: 94 (98, 2008)
Doubles: 27 (new career high)
Triples: 10 (new career high)
Walks: 49 (new career high)
Stolen Bases: 70 (new career high), 12 CS
UZR/150* (at CF): -18.9 (new career low)
UZR/150* (at LF in 2008 in 58 games): +30.3

*UZR/150 is a sabermetric number of runs above or below average a fielder is, per 150 defensive games. Zero is an average fielder.

2010 Outlook: Jacoby Ellsbury is firmly entrenched at the top of the Red Sox order. His ability to put the bat on the ball coupled with his unmatched speed gives the Red Sox one of the premier lead-off hitters in the game. It would be nice to see Jacoby improve on his .355 OBP and take a few more walks going forward. Entering his third full year in the majors, it seems like a fairly reasonable expectation.

Ellsbury will be patrolling left field this season, as newly signed Mike Cameron will be sliding into center. As you can see above, Jacoby's defense in CF last season took a pretty sharp decline. His speed in LF will give the Sox a Carl Crawford like look on the left side of the OF.

Next up: Marco Scutaro

Previous previews:
Kevin Youkilis
Dusin Pedroia