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2002 season Red Sox outfielder
Sherrod is a man with a plan
"I consider myself an entrepreneur," replied Boston minor league outfielder Justin Sherrod, in answer to the question as to what he'd be doing with his life if not for baseball. "I have all kinds of ideas. I want to run my own business ... get some venture capitalists, put some ideas together, get a business plan going, and roll with it." Sherrod takes that same "go get 'em" attitude to the baseball field every day. His reputation as a tireless worker is noticed wherever he plays. The 24-year-old native Floridian developed his work ethic long before playing professional baseball. "I'm just so blessed and fortunate to have wonderful parents that instilled in me hard work and the fruits that come with it," Sherrod continued. "In this game, hard work and hustle stand out so much." Being picked in the 19th round (2000 draft) gave Sherrod the incentive to work extra hard to prove that he belonged on the same field as players selected in the draft before him. "There's no question that the higher picks get more opportunity," stated Sherrod. "No matter whether I was a first rounder or a 19th rounder, I'm going to work as hard as everybody or harder." Sherrod's perseverance has paid off, with the parent organization thinking highly enough of him to warrant placement in an advanced league like the Arizona Fall League. His extra effort has not gone unnoticed. "He has great work habits," commented Sherrod's AFL manager, former major league infielder Al Pedrique. "That's good to see in young players." Pedrique also noticed Sherrod's intensity, stating, "The first impression I got is that he is very hard on himself, he wants to do everything perfect. During batting practice, he takes everything real serious." Sherrod agrees with Pedrique's assessment. "I have to do everything the best, and until I am the best at something, I don't give up," he said. "It's just the way it is ... I'm never satisfied. I'll never be complacent with anything." The Red Sox drafted Sherrod out of the Division II baseball program at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. He's never regretted his decision to go to Rollins rather than starting his professional baseball career right out of high school. "I'm completely happy with my decision to go to college," said Sherrod. "With college life and being on your own for three or four years, it definitely helps you mature a lot. You're a little more focused when you make that jump into professional baseball."
Sherrod's professional career began slowly, as hit .225 in 59 games in his minor league debut for Lowell of the short-season New York/Pennsylvania League. He then had a breakout season in 2001, hitting .290 at Low Class A Augusta and .305 for High Class A Sarasota in his first full season. Sherrod also slugged 18 homeruns and stole 21 bases. Moving up to Class AA Trenton this season, Sherrod experienced a different kind of "break" partway through the season. After playing 70 games and batting .255 with six homeruns, Sherrod broke the hamate bone in his right hand. He underwent surgery on July 10th, missing the remainder of the regular season. Sherrod never stopped working during his rehabilitation period. "I was able to focus on lifting and getting my body toned up and in shape for my comeback ... I was working out a lot, eating healthy, and just getting ready to come out here (to Arizona)." The 6-2, 210 pound outfielder is trying to make up for lost time in the Arizona Fall League. He believes the injury gives him an advantage over the other players. "Most of these guys played 130 games out of a 144 game schedule," Sherrod remarked, "whereas I only played parts of 70 games this year. So I was fresh and hungry coming out here. A lot of these guys are probably tired, although all of them know this is a great opportunity." After having played only half a season above Class A, one might think that the level of competition in the Arizona Fall League would intimidate Sherrod. Instead, he answered, confidently, "I've never been intimidated. I've always felt I could compete at every level." Sherrod admitted to having been a little overwhelmed when he first appeared in a major league spring training game last March, but that feeling soon ended when the veteran Red Sox players made the young outfielder feel like a part of the team. "They made me feel comfortable," he stated, "and after that I just felt like I belonged. Obviously, I'm not ready for the big leagues just yet, but I feel like I can play with them." Sherrod proved that point by hitting a three-run homer in a late pre-season game at Houston. He played strictly in the outfield in 2002 after bouncing back and forth between third base and outfield earlier in his career. "I've always been an infielder all my life," Sherrod said. "I started playing outfield my senior year in college." After moving him between positions for his first two seasons, the Red Sox decided to make Sherrod an outfielder for good this past year.
"What they wanted me to do this year, since I had a good season offensively last year, was to focus on one position instead of making the jump back and forth," said Sherrod. He continued, "I'll be more valuable if I can do both. Right now, it looks like I'm an outfielder and I'm honing those skills. If they see me as a better fit in the outfield, then so be it. I feel I can play all three outfield positions as well." Despite his limited experience in the outfield, Sherrod has earned the reputation as a strong defensive player. Pedrique commented, "He gets good jumps in right field and takes good routes. He has good arm strength to play right field." It's with his offense where Pedrique sees the biggest room for improvement in Sherrod's game. The Scottsdale manager said, "Offensively, we're trying to cut his swing down a little bit. Sometimes he over swings. He has some power to right field and center field. He doesn't pull a lot of balls yet. I'm sure he will learn how to do that, but right now our main goal with him is to stay inside the ball, drive the ball the other way, and to be more patient with the strike zone. He has a tendency to chase a lot of pitches out of the strike zone, especially breaking stuff." Pedrique sees something special in his Scorpion right fielder. "I like his tools," he commented, "he's a very aggressive player. He's very competitive. When he goes out there he gives you 100%." One would expect that a "man with a plan" would have concrete goals on what he hopes to accomplish in 2003. Instead, Sherrod summarized his primary objective in two simple words --- "Stay healthy." He continued, "You can 't do anything when you're hurt. My goals were always numbers-oriented. Now it's just to stay healthy, then the numbers will come." Sherrod has a long-term plan mapped out for his career. "The main goal is to make it to the big leagues," he stated, "whether it's this year, next year, or the year after." --- Bill Mitchell All photos on the Arizona Fall League Report are credited to Bill Mitchell, unless noted otherwise, and are not to be used for any other purpose without express permission.
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