June 29, 2011—Adrian Gonzalez takes the field for the Boston Red Sox against the Philadelphia Phillies in interleague play.
The only problem is the Gold Glove first baseman is not positioned in his comfort zone. He would play right field that night for the first time in a Red Sox uniform and for only the second time in his career.
The only other time came in 2005 as a member of the Texas Rangers.
Going into that June night’s action, Gonzalez was batting .357 with a .412 OBP, .605 SLG and a 1.017 OPS.
He had racked up 16 home runs and 71 RBI through 319 at-bats and 114 hits. Roughly, that translates into a hit in every third at-bat with a home run every seventh hit.
Since taking the field June 29, 2011, Gonzalez has hit exactly 16 home runs with 81 RBI. That comes with 569 at-bats and 166 hits.
Those statistics roughly translate into a hit in every 3.5 at-bats, and a home run every 10 or so hits.
For those that have theorized that perhaps the decline of his production came at the hands of participating in the 2011 Home Run Derby, these numbers disprove that case. Gonzalez has been on the decline since doing what was “best” for the Red Sox and playing in a position he was unaccustomed to.
Since then, Gonzo has been placed in right field a total of 19 times.
Surely he did not sign up for this when deciding to play in Boston. While Sox fans can commend him for his willingness to play the outfield, it is having an obvious impact on his bat.
The bottom line is the Red Sox need to get Gonzalez back playing first base every day and back in to his comfort zone.
Normalcy is the key to rekindling the fire in the star first baseman’s bat.
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