Drew is all the rage for the Braves
By Rick Hummel
08/13/2004
As one of the few media members who thought the Cardinals erred in trading J.D. Drew to Atlanta, I'm here to point out that Drew is headed for his best season. Drew, who hit a game-deciding homer Thursday, is hitting .312 with 26 homers and 69 runs batted in and, get this, he is second on the club in games played - 102.
Of course, it must be noted that the Cardinals also did quite well in that trade, acquiring righthander Jason Marquis. He has won nine decisions in a row, tying Atlanta's Jaret Wright for the longest active winning streak. And lefthanded reliever Ray King has been scored on in only seven of 60 games.
With former Cardinal Eli Marrero hitting .335 for the Braves as an extra man, and discounting the arm problems former Brave Adam Wainwright is having at Memphis, the December trade between the teams was akin to swapping Boardwalk and Reading Railroad for Park Place and Pennsylvania Avenue.
"It's about as evenly valued a trade as you could have," said Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty, who made the deal along with the Braves' John Schuerholz.
"I don't think you could have planned it any better," Drew said. "Everybody was really impressed with Marquis. We knew he had a great arm, just facing him. And Ray King is one of those guys I've had to square off against a few times. It looks like it's worked out for both sides."
That's for sure.
"We're both in first place," Cardinals reliever Steve Kline said on the eve of the teams' three-game showdown that begins tonight in Atlanta.
Drew easily has been the Braves' most valuable player this season.
"We were going to petition the commissioner's office to have any ball hit to right field declared an automatic out, because we didn't have a right fielder before we got J.D.," one Braves official said. "He's playing right field as well as anybody in the league."
Perhaps the St. Louis fan base is surprised at what Drew is doing, especially his durability, but the Cardinals aren't.
"I think we all believed he was due for a breakout year," Jocketty said. "It was just a question of him staying healthy, and he's been healthy for most of the year. He's having a terrific year and we're all happy for him."
Cardinals pitcher Matt Morris, who had been Drew's teammate since he came to the majors in 1998, said he wasn't surprised either.
"We all knew the talent was there, Morris said. "We all knew the numbers and the projections. It was just a matter of playing in the games. It seems from talking to him that it's a good fit over there. The managing style is a little more laid-back."
Though disappointed by Drew's inability to play a full season with the Cardinals, Cardinals' manager Tony La Russa said he, too, wasn't taken back by Drew's performance.
"He's maturing. He's healthy," La Russa said. "He's not playing beyond himself as far as his production."
But would Drew, who never played more than 135 games with the Cardinals, be having the same success if he had stayed?
"Sure, I think so," Jocketty said. "He's got such great potential, you always hate to give up on a guy like that. But, we didn't think we were going to be in a position to sign him after this year. He was probably at his peak value as far as trade."
Kline, a longtime teammate of Drew's, said he thought Drew could have had a huge year with the Cards.
"He's that kind of player; he's that good," Kline said. "He's an electrifying player, if he's healthy. J.D.'s going to put up big numbers. (The Braves) have got a guy who can potentially be the next Mickey Mantle."
Asked if he thought he would have done as well with the Cards, Drew said: "Hard to say. You can never predict how it was going to end up there. I just knew I had to prepare myself to have a healthy year. I was on the brink of that last year as my knee got better.
"I told everybody here that if I had to sit out with an injury, I wanted it to be something small and not a knee injury."
As Drew spoke, he was on the training table in the Braves' clubhouse but he said, "It's just maintenance."
Kline, who pays rapt attention to the box scores, said, "That home cooking (in Georgia) must be good."
And, indeed, Drew said he was very comfortable with his surroundings - not only playing for Bobby Cox but the fact he easily can get home to the Valdosta, Ga., area on off days.
"I said to my wife, 'I'm seeing things in south Georgia that I haven't seen in 14 or 15 years,'" Drew said. "There're leaves on the trees and there's tobacco in the fields. It looks totally different. In the offseason, when the crops are in, you can see everybody's houses."
The naysayers will point out that Drew is in a contract year; he can be a free agent after the season.
"Hopefully, you don't wait till the last year of a contract to get motivated, but I don't think that's the case with him," Morris said. "Hopefully, he gets what he deserves and finishes his career with some big numbers that everybody said he could have."
Before the season, Morris noted that Drew seemed comfortable not being the "go-to guy," even though he had the talent to be such a player.
"He doesn't like being in the limelight," Morris said. "He just goes out and plays and doesn't like what comes along with it."
Aberration or premonition? Will Drew take off for greatness at age 28, or will he settle into a pack of "very good."
La Russa says he very easily could see the former happening.
"If he gets healthy and stays healthy, he'll produce," La Russa said. "He's got all the talent that you need. I'm pulling for him - except this weekend."