Bogaerts' Slam Lifts Red Sox: 'Nice To Have That One Go Over'
BOSTON (CBS) -- Nearly every aspect of Xander Bogaerts' game has improved this season, from his average to his defense, but still, something has been missing.
The Red Sox shortstop is having a career year at 22 years old, leading the team with a .323 average and 182 hits and placing second with 78 RBIs. But the one thing absent from his overall impressive stat sheet has been home runs, with just six homers heading into Monday night's game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway.
That's not to say he doesn't have pop in his bat. Bogaerts has sent countless blasts off the Green Monster at Fenway Park and numerous others off walls in other ballparks throughout baseball.
It happened again in the seventh inning Monday night, with Bogaerts putting a charge into a Alex Colome pitch that hit high off the wall in left for his 31st double, plating a pair of runs to give Boston a 3-2 lead.
When he came to the plate an inning later, this time with the bases loaded, Bogaerts wasn't going to let another one go high off the wall. He knew Rays pitcher Brandon Gomes liked to throw his slider, so Bogaerts was waiting when Gomes threw it on a 2-2 pitch, depositing it in the left field seats for his first career grand slam. The blast turned a two-run deficit into a two-run lead, and Boston went on to win 8-7 to jump into fourth place in the AL East.
"I've hit so many balls in the outfield -- Seattle, Baltimore -- off the wall. They just don't want to go over. It was nice to get that one to go over," he said after the game. "Hopefully next year is better."
There's evidence that those baseballs will soon be flying over the fence rather than rocketing high off the top. Bogaerts, who hit 12 out of the yard last season, has homered in four of his last 31 games since mid-August after hitting just three his first 112 games of the season. The Sox are confident he'll regain that home run pop as he develops over the next few years.
"You know that power's in there. We're seeing it of late," said Red Sox interim manager Torey Lovullo. "He's getting that backswing and the ball is jumping off his bat. I think the upside is unlimited. He's not going to be a 30-home run guy year in and year out, but I don't think it'll surprise anybody if he hits 25."
While it's been a mostly down season for the Red Sox, the improvement of Bogaerts' all-around game is a bright sign for the future. Maybe one swing of the bat on Monday night will provide the needed boost to send those baseballs sailing onto Lansdowne Street rather than off the wall and into left field.
Even if that extra pop doesn't come, Bogaerts has proved that he is a pretty special player and can contribute in many other ways. It's safe to say the Red Sox will have a star in their lineup for years to come.
