I Think We're Overrating Everyday Players Here, Steve

Steve Phillips, calling the Red Sox-Mariners game today:

If you're an everyday player in the major leagues, you have to do something special. You either have to be a power hitter, you have to run and steal bases, and if you don't do either of those, you better be a .320 hitter or a guy that hits over .300 and make solid plays defensively. And that's really what Dustin Pedroia is going to have to do to lock himself into that role every day here in Boston.

Let's break it down.

If you're an everyday player in the major leagues

like Jack Wilson or Geoff Jenkins

you have to do something special

like Jay Gibbons and Ronnie Belliard do.

You either have to be a power hitter, you have to run and steal bases,

These things are of absolutely equal value.

and if you don't do either of those, you better be a .320 hitter

14 people in the major leagues did this last year.

or a guy that hits over .300 and make solid plays defensively.

37 people in all of baseball hit .300 in 2006. There are approximately 240 "everyday" position players. (Not counting DHs, platoons, etc.)

And that's really what Dustin Pedroia is going to have to do to lock himself into that role every day here in Boston.

Dustin Pedroia is the everyday starting second baseman for the Boston Red Sox. At this point, he's going to have to play himself out of that role.

Other than that, perfectly legitimate paragraph, there, Steve.