Sox Offseason Additions Part 3: Rocco Baldelli

History:
Rocco Baldelli was drafted 6th overall out of high school in 2000 by the Rays. He famously went to high school in Rhode Island, endearing him to Sox fans, but played for years at Fenway South. Looking at the 2000 draft, it was a weak one in retrospect. #1 Overall pick Adrian Gonzalez is good, and Chase Utley was selected 15th, but overall there were a lot of busts, including Red Sox' 22nd overall selection Phil Dumatrait.

As an 18-year-old draftee, Baldelli was, as many are, "toolsy," and his first two seasons showed poor numbers. In 2002 at age 20, though, he had a solid season, putting up a .882 OPS between three levels. He then tore onto the major league scene in 2003, hitting for an .894 OPS in April. Unfortunately, this was the best month of his career and was helped by a .470 BABIP -- and one that has made him overrated since. As his hits started to land in fielders' gloves, his poor plate discpline (no walks in his first 60 PA) caught up to him. From May 20 to the end of his rookie season, he had just a .692 OPS.

He put up similar numbers the next year, and then injury problems caught up to him. His issue has been covered elsewhere, but for years, he didn't know what was wrong with him. Baldelli and the Red Sox now believe it has been correctly diagnosed as channelopathy, which is treatable, though he will likely never be able to play every day.

Scouting:
Baldelli has the baseball body and sweet swing that scouts love. He makes good contact, hits line drives and has power. He plays good defense and has a good arm. Unfortunately, he has little to no plate discipline. For his career, has has 90 BB, 346 K and a .325 OBP.

Contract:
Like every other free agent signed this year, Baldelli signed a one-year contract with a low guaranteed salary and incentives based on playing time. He is said to be guaranteed $500k, but if he remains on the active roster all season, he will make $2.25 million. Good low-money deal for a fourth outfielder.

Role on Red Sox:
Given that he can't play every day, but can handle all three outfield positions, Baldelli would seem a great fit to fill in for Ellsbury, Bay, and most often, the also-fragile J.D. Drew. Unfortunately, should one of them get injured, Baldelli can't really fill in as an everyday replacement, unless his condition greatly improves. So in the likely scenario that an outfielder hits the DL, the Sox will still have to use Mark Kotsay or a AAA fill-in, which is a big downgrade (well, maybe not a downgrade from Ellsbury :-/).

Predicted Performance:
This is again a big question mark. Projection systems predict right around an .800 OPS, which is probably accurate. The biggest question is how much he will be able to play. Hopefully the Red Sox medical staff can prove its value once again.

Conclusion:
While I'm not as excited about his potential as many who overrate the hometown boy, this will be a fine signing for the Sox. They didn't give up much money and will have a solid bench player for the year. If an outfielder gets hurt for a long time, then they will have a problem, but Baldelli's presence will still mitigate that.