#3: Red Sox LF Alex Verdugo
Alex Verdugo has become one of my absolute favorite players to watch on this Red Sox roster. Night in and night out he gives this team and the fans everything that he has in his gas tank without a second thought. Are there times where I want to ask him what in the world he was thinking with some of his decisions, of course, but he’s young and that will come with age.
There’s no question at all that Dugie has some serious power in his bat and he’s never one to shy away from showing it off. While he’s shown to have great instincts on when it’s time to play small ball and get the job done, I don’t think he’ll ever miss a chance to hit a ball to Maine. Similar to Bogey, Verdugo’s longest homer of the season was a 446ft blast, but this one came off of a much-disliked rival.
It was a beautiful June afternoon when Dugie decided it was time to launch a middle-high 91mph Domingo German fastball out of Yankee Stadium. Oh yeah, he did it in the first inning too, pretty cool if ya ask me. Alex would hit 13 homers this season in total which was a new career-high for the dynamic outfielder. He’d also become a focal part of the Red Sox offense thanks to his .289/.351/.426 slash and 63 RBI.
The Alex Verdugo Fan Club is alive and well in Boston and if he continues on the trajectory that he’s currently on, he’s going to be a star for this team and city. He embraced Red Sox Nation from day one and that love has been more than reciprocated.