Despite Struggles, No Point In Sending Bradley, Bogaerts Down To The Minors
BOSTON (CBS) - The 52-65 Red Sox were off Monday night as they prepare to close out their eight-game road trip with a two-game set in Cincinnati starting Tuesday night, but that didn't prevent 98.5 The Sports Hub's The Adam Jones Show from a little hardball talk.
Ian Browne from MLB.com was a guest of the program and talked about a whole host of Red Sox topics, including Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Tom Werner possibly becoming the commissioner of Major League Baseball.
The Red Sox entered spring training with a handful of encouraging rookies and inexperienced players expected to have an impact on the major league club in 2014, with 21-year-old Xander Bogaerts and 24-year-old Jackie Bradley Jr. being the two most promising of the bunch.
However, you could sum up their rookie campaigns in one word: disappointing.
Bogaerts is batting just .230 with only 29 RBI to his name, and his inconsistencies in the field defensively have been glaring. Meanwhile, Jackie Bradley Jr. has been excellent in center field but can barely hit his weight for average. Bradley, 195-pounds, is currently hitting .211.
Some feel like the two could benefit by a short stint in the minor leagues to clear their heads and work on their mechanics, but Ian Browne is not one of those people.
According to Browne, because the Sox are so far into the season, he doesn't see the point in sending either Bogaerts or Bradley down to the minor leagues. If it was earlier in the season, or even a month ago, maybe it would have made sense to send them down, but not now.
"I don't see the value in sending them down. I don't see what they have to gain, because the minor league season is coming to a close. They will both learn more at the major league level and hopefully it clicks for one or both of these guys at some point. I think that's the best way to get them momentum for next year," said Browne.
For Browne, one player is more concerning than the other.
"We forget how few major league at bats Xander Bogaerts had prior to this year. He's still a very young guy. Everybody saw what he did in the playoffs and maybe we thought he was ready sooner than he was. I haven't written off Bogaerts yet by any means just because of where he is in his development. With Bradley there's a real question of can this guy hit, and is this guy going to be a good enough hitter in the major leagues?"
With pitchers on the free-agent market and Jon Lester traded to the Oakland Athletics, Browne believes the Sox will obtain an ace to add to their pitching staff in the offseason.
Also, Red Sox chairman Tom Werner is currently in the running to replace Bud Selig as the next MLB commissioner. It would probably benefit Red Sox fans to see Werner succeed Selig, but Browne doesn't believe he will obtain enough votes to win the election.
Listen below for the full discussion:
Ian Browne Of MLB.com
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