The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is finally over and Red Sox star shortshop, Xander Bogaerts, is ready to continue the quest for a second ring.
Xander Bogaerts’ first time in the WBC was as a 20-year old young gun looking to start his career, little did he know that the upcoming year he would have would change his life forever. He went on to start as the Red Sox’s shortstop during their 2013 World Series championship run.
He handled the pressure well and earned a starting spot the next year. He kept growing, getting better every day, and later becoming an All Star as one of the premier shortstops in the game.
Right before he left to join the Netherlands team, he talked to reporters about a motive for participating in it.
"“I mean, we won the World Series in 2013, and I played third base (at the WBC),” Bogaerts told reporters Thursday. “So I might give it a shot again. Let’s see if it can happen again.”"
This is attitude I want when thinking about this team. This is title town and that is all we think about. I was initially not thrilled with Bogaerts going to the WBC due to potential injury, but he came out all right. He played fairly well for a very very small sample size.
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He hit .227 with a triple over 7 total games. He showed up as one of the leaders for this team. At only 24-years old it is weird calling Bogaerts a leader, but that is who he has become. I think this experience will greatly benefit him in the clubhouse as the season comes along. The Sox are looking for more leaders with Big Papi gone and Bogaerts will be one of the young stars to rise up.
He showed he can play in big pressure situations, like in the 2013 World Series, but the WBC heightened that. He played against some top global powerhouses and proven major league players, like Japan, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. He increased his mental toughness and I think got more major league ready than his counterparts back in Fort Myers.
The competition was greater. There was more passion and effort put into every action. In the later rounds, it felt like a pennant race game. I think this will help him got off to a faster start. There should be no first few week slump because he has already been playing in high-level important games. He is used to going all out.
With that and more scheduled rest days throughout the season, I expect Bogaerts to have a monster year. I think he start off strong and sustain it throughout the entire season. There will be no drop off.
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Xander Bogaerts is a stud and ready to produce again. Good things happened last time he went to the WBC, so why not again. Get the gold bottles and duck boats ready for your 2017 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox!