When the Boston Red Sox traded away their starting shortstop, Marco Scutaro, to free up payroll, a wide array of fans and pundits let out a collective moan across twitter and many other media outlets. Here at Rant Sports, my esteemed colleague, Mark Hock, lamented the move and asked if the Red Sox were even trying to compete in 2012. While there are plenty of reasons to worry about the Red Sox, the drop off in production at shortstop might be the most overstated one.
Marco Scutaro was great forBoston last season. fWAR credits him with being worth 2.9 wins in 2011, thanks in large part to his .299/.358/.423 batting line giving him a .343 wOBA. He played solid, if average, defense at short, with UZR giving him 0.7 runs above average and FRS crediting him with 1 run saved above average. Among SS with over 300 plate appearances, Scutaro ranked sixteenth in baseball in total value and eight in hitting (by wRC+). That is excellent production from a shortstop and it is not easy to replace...
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