Red Sox SS: Xander Bogaerts
Oh captain my captain! Xander Bogaerts may not have that “C” on his chest but he’s without a doubt the leader of this ballclub. No Red Sox player has had that title since Jason Varitek but if anyone deserves it, it’s the X Man. It may be silly to some but look no further than his declaration that the team will continue to wear the yellow City Connect unis until their current win streak ends.
As for on the field, it’s hard to deny how damn good he is at what he does. He’ll never get the national attention he deserves and I’ll never understand why not. Per Fangraphs, he’s the fourth-ranked shortstop in all of MLB with a 5.4 WAR, only behind Fernando Tatis Jr, Trea Turner, and Carlos Correa. That’s pretty damn good.
Through last night’s game against the Mets, he’s rocking a .304/.374/.520 slash with 34 doubles, 23 homers, and 79 RBI. With only nine games left on the regular-season schedule, he’s coming to the conclusion of one of his best seasons to date.
Xander has been playing at such a high level for so long that Red Sox legend Pedro Martinez believes he should already have his ticket to Cooperstown punched, that’s next level high praise. If Chaim Bloom is as smart as we’ve all been told he is, Bogey will be given a new long-term contract after this season.
He has the ability to opt-out after next season and with the young core of guys that Bloom is fostering, having that veteran rock will be key. Locking up not just Bogaerts but also Rafael Devers needs to be at the top of Bloom’s to-do list this winter. With the postseason right around the corner, a white-hot Xander in the lineup is a very good thing for the Red Sox and a very bad thing for everyone else.