Jonathan Van Every has been designated for assignment to make room for Jacoby Ellsbury. If he clears waivers, Van Every will join the Pawsox and Manager Torey Lovullo spoke very highly of the outfielder:
"The best center fielder I've ever seen," Lovullo said earlier this week. "When you get to watch him every day, his ability to get jumps and breaks, he could close on a ball as fast as anybody I've ever seen. He takes great routes. He's the best center fielder I've ever managed, certainly. He's one of the best center fielders I've ever seen.
"I've played with Gary Pettis. I've seen Marquis Grissom. I've seen Devon White firsthand. JVE is right up there with any of those guys."
Van Every was 22 years old when he first suited up for a team managed by Lovullo -- and Lovullo, for his part, wasn't yet 37 years old when he took the reins of that Single-A Columbus team, the first team he'd ever managed. He has, it's safe to say, grown up a little bit since then.
Van Every talked about his possible future Manager:
"When he first started managing, it was all about trying to win games," Van Every said before Friday's game in Philadelphia. "Now, he realizes, just from growing as a manager, that it's about development. It is about winning and losing, but, at the same time, it's about getting your guys prepared to help the big-league club win as opposed to winning at whatever individual level you're at."
Van Every, of course, didn't really understand the development-versus-winning dynamic when he was 22 years old and trying to climb the ladder as a 29th-round draft pick.
"We grew up together," Van Every said. "It's something that, you look back, and you're like, 'Wow. Things were a little different then.' It's part of being at the game in certain positions. He was in the game a long time as a player, and now he's in it as a manager. You learn different things managing down the road."
If Van Every is as good as Torey Lovullo says he is, lets try to keep this guy and see what he can contribute. Might be a good insurance policy.
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