5. Can Xander Bogaerts keep up what he has been doing for the past month?
Xander Bogaerts’ 2017 season has been filled with a lot of ups and downs. In April and March, he hit .315 and .351, which is a terrific start. But he was unable to keep it up as his average dipped below .200 for the month of July and really did not get much better in August.
Xander was in a slump, and he needed something to get him out of it. To help him out, John Farrell moved him to the leadoff spot. As soon as he got there, he just looked like a different hitter. As a leadoff hitter, his average has jumped to .309, his slugging is up to .418 and his OPS is at .824. Xander’s change to leadoff has changed
Xander’s change to leadoff has changed his season, but can he keep this up into the postseason? Statistics from past postseasons want to say yes, but based off of last year, it is not looking good for him. Last year, he did not play well against the Cleveland Indians. In the three-game sweep, he had a total of three hits and a .187 batting average.
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If the Red Sox are going to go deep into the playoffs, they need Xander to keep up this run he has been on. The Red Sox need someone who they can count on for a hit at any given time. With the way Xander has been playing for the past month, he seems as if he is the guy to do it. Can he improve upon his porous performance from last year and become the consistent threat he was in the previous postseasons? The Red Sox need him now more than ever.