It’s hard to ignore the similarities between the competitions for the Red Sox center field job and the Democratic presidential nomination.

Coco Crisp and Hillary Clinton are solid, battle-tested veterans, capable of stellar performances but with somewhat suspect credentials. Jacoby Ellsbury and Barack Obama are attractive unknowns who have dazzled in their first exposure to the big leagues.

Like the two Democratic contenders, Crisp and Ellsbury are on the same team and are working toward the same goal: victory in the fall. Ellsbury electrified Red Sox Nation in 2008 with his, his timely hitting, and a solid performance in the World Series. But Crisp likely saved a few games with his defense over the long haul of the season, and is one of the premier defensive center fielders in the game.

How did we get into these twin conundrums, in both baseball and politics?

Once upon a time, there was a center fielder named Johnny Damon, who had long hair and a beard and the ability to turn a game with a timely hit or a piece of bravado on the bases. Though he never had a strong throwing arm, he could run down a fly ball with the best of them. He hit two home runs in the most glorious Red Sox victory of the millennium, the game seven blowout of the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS. You hardly recognize him now, in left field and pinstripes, the sideburns all that remain of the hair, a shadow of his former self. Damon clearly left his prime in Boston , no matter what they’re paying him in New York .

Al Gore should have won the 2000 presidential election and been in the White House on September 11, 2001 . The twin blows of the Ralph Nader campaign and the Supreme Court ruling on the Florida vote saddled us instead with a protracted war and a looming recession. He has since gone on to greener pastures (pun intended), winning a Nobel Prize for his work on environmental issues.

Gore, like John Kerry after him, wasn’t an inspiring candidate, but in the 2008 political season the Democrats, like the Red Sox, have two stars vying for one position. Obama may be more exciting, but Clinton is the steadier, more dependable player.

The presence of Obama and Ellsbury means that neither Clinton nor Crisp can ride out a slump without looking over their shoulders. Crisp hit an even .300 in 2005, his last year in Cleveland . He started off the 2006 season as Boston ‘s leadoff hitter, but broke a finger in the season’s second series and was out for several weeks. He recovered, but his batting stroke didn’t. He hit only .268 in 2007, but should have won a Gold Glove for his defense. At 28, he is six years younger than Damon.

Ellsbury began the 2007 season in Portland , and blew through Pawtucket on his way to Fenway. A few days into his first call-up, he scored from second on a wild pitch, and it’s been a love fest with the Fenway faithful ever since. He hit .353 in 33 games, and had that four-hit game in the World Series. He can make the plays in the field, too, though Crisp plays center when both are in the lineup. He is 24 years old.

Fans and sports pundits are clamoring for Ellsbury to be the regular center fielder, just as many Democrats and editorial writers want the charismatic Obama to be the party’s nominee. But as this is being written, one week before the Pennsylvania primary, both decisions remain difficult. Crisp has played well so far. In a Sunday night ESPN game against the Yankees, he scored an important insurance run by singling, stealing second, advancing to third on a fly ball, and dashing home on short fly ball by Ellsbury.

Thing is, you reverse their positions and you probably still score the run. The two players, like the two politicians, bring similar sets of skills to the table. Ellsbury has great baseball instincts; Crisp has made the plays before. Obama gives the better speech, but Clinton has a more thorough grasp of the issues.

My opinion will surely annoy many of my fellow Democrats and Red Sox fans, but here it is: All else being roughly equal, experience counts. Hillary Clinton should be the nominee, and Coco Crisp should be the regular center fielder. The attractive upstarts can wait a little longer.