Red Sox: Xander Bogaerts cleaning up

The results have been less than stellar so far, as Bogaerts has gone 2-for-11 (.181) at the plate and has failed to drive in a run over five starts in the cleanup spot this spring. Yet this small sample size won’t dissuade the Red Sox from testing this strategy.

Spring Training is the time to experiment, so Farrell is taking the opportunity to toy with what his lineup would look like with Bogaerts batting cleanup. It also gives the young shortstop a chance to get comfortable with a role that has mostly been foreign to him so far in his career, just in case Farrell decides to go with that lineup at some point this season. It doesn’t necessarily mean Bogaerts will be batting fourth on Opening Day, but now is the time to figure out if it can work.

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Bogaerts doesn’t fit the mold of a prototypical No. 4 hitter, but he has the attributes to succeed in that spot. The power will come eventually, but until then he is still capable of driving in runs without the long ball. As long as the Red Sox put their best on-base percentage hitters ahead of him, they can count on Bogaerts to bring them home.

As surprising as it may seem, we may find that the cleanup spot will end up being the best place to put Bogaerts in the order.