Red Sox Prospects: Infielder Nick Sogard is flying under the radar

Boston Red Sox infield prospect Nick Sogard is flying under the radar

The Boston Red Sox minor league system is pretty stacked. And Chaim Bloom has done a phenomenal job of bringing in even more talent. One of Bloom’s big moves was a trade that brought catcher Ronaldo Hernandez to the system. He didn’t come alone though, the Red Sox also acquired Nick Sogard in that deal – and he has quickly proven to be an asset.

In his first year with the team, Hernandez put up phenomenal numbers and made it all the way up to Triple-A. It’s pretty clear why Bloom and the Red Sox wanted to bring him in. However, he wasn’t the only player in that trade that made waves.

Sogard spent time in both High-A and Double-A in 2021. His first year in the Boston organization saw the switch-hitter make some drastic improvements on certain areas of his game.

The infielder spent the 2019 season (his first season in the minors) with the Tampa Bay Rays. He boasted a fantastic .290 average and .405 OBP. However, the power numbers just weren’t there. Sogard had just five doubles, no triples, and no home runs in 214 at-bats. Maybe that’s what gave the Rays the idea that Sogard was expendable.

His first year with Boston was very different. Although he lowered his average and OBP (still strong numbers with a .276 and .346 respectively), his slugging went up drastically from .313 to .461. That was thanks to new highs in doubles (12), triples (2), and home runs (13) in just 297 at-bats.

The newfound power stroke really helped the now-24-year-old stand out a little bit more. No, this doesn’t make him the top prospect in the organization, but it’s a nice new wrinkle to his game.

As of right now, Sogard plays second base, shortstop, and third base. He’s not elite in the field, but he plays all three positions pretty well. That gives him some nice versatility that will give lineups flexibility whenever he’s in the game. He’s also never going to hurt you with his defense, that definitely helps.

Sogard’s also a decent runner who might be able to sneak some steals into his game (had 20 in 2019 and eight in 2021). It’s the offense where he would make his mark though. Coming into the organization, it looked like Sogard would get on-base at a nice clip – but wouldn’t do much outside of that – no real power.

That’s perfectly fine, but it doesn’t make for the most exciting prospect. This is especially when they aren’t exceptionally fast or looking like a gold glover in the field. The power that was on display last year injects life though.

Nick Sogard put up strong power numbers in just eighty games last season. With everything in his toolbox grading out around average (or even slightly better), getting his power into that range makes him very exciting. It’s never a bad thing to have someone that’s pretty good at everything. When considering depth pieces for the Majors, it’s especially good.

Now, that’s not saying Sogard is a step away from the Majors or anything. He has just 18 career games in Double-A. However, 2022 could see him work his way through Double-A and into Triple-A. Getting closer and closer to Boston. Those glue guys that can play a few positions are always valuable and the Red Sox have a good track record when it comes to utility men. Could Sogard be another success story?

And that might be exactly what the Boston Red Sox got with Sogard. Maybe he wasn’t the most prominent name in that trade, but it doesn’t mean he isn’t going to make an impact. It will be interesting to see what 2022 brings to the table as he fights his way through Double-A and Triple-A.