Red Sox Strength #1: Xander Bogaerts & Rafael Devers
After losing their franchise guy in Betts, losing their star defender in Jackie Bradley Jr., and losing their ace to Tommy John surgery, the Sox must have someone to pick up the slack. Any other front office could’ve easily paid a guy like George Springer the money in free agency, trying to replace Betts’ workload just like that.
Luckily, Bloom knows baseball. Instead, giving out short-term deals to helpful players and giving more of an opportunity for the farm to develop need to be the priorities right now. From a now standpoint, the Sox are lucky to have two guys who you can definitely consider superstars for this ballclub. As it stands, Bogaerts is the longest-tenured member of the organization with the retirement of Dustin Pedroia earlier this spring.
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Bogaerts and Devers have formed a fantastic partnership together on the left side of the infield. Bogaerts is clearly the standout leader at this ballclub now and has had a big influence on Devers and his development into one of the premier hitters in baseball. These two made following the Red Sox all the easier during the torrid 2019 season, as Bogaerts finished fifth, and Devers finished 12th in AL MVP voting. The duo would become the first teammates to join the “30-50 Club,” each hitting over 30 homers and 50 doubles.
At just 28-years-old, Bogaerts has turned into one of the elite shortstops in the league over his tenure in Boston. He can hit, hit for power, and is an excellent defender in Boston’s infield. He hit .300 last season and is and recorded 103 and 117 RBI in 2018 and 2019, respectively. He’s picked up the role as Boston’s star player following the departure of Betts and will be as integral as ever in the upcoming season.
Devers has 158 RBI with 43 home runs over the last two seasons (213 games). He’s just 24-years-old and has developed at an extremely fast pace. He’ll have a vital role to play at the top of the Red Sox order, and will have a massive say on how this season pans out for the Red Sox.
Being in a transitional stage isn’t always fun, but watching this ballclub will be when you have these two guys in your lineup. We’re extremely lucky to be Red Sox fans and get to watch these two on a nightly basis. Let’s hope they both have huge years once more.