When Red Sox supervisor Alex Cora was requested final week for one participant he was actually hoping would take a step ahead in 2023, it didn’t take him very lengthy to provide a solution: Alex Verdugo.
Next May, Verdugo will flip 27, the age lengthy thought of to be the prime age for hitters in baseball. In the eyes of some, he nonetheless hasn’t lived as much as his potential.
As Cora mentioned final week: “He’s getting to that area in his career of who he’s going to be.”
MLB Trade Rumors launched its annual wage arbitration projections for 2023 on Monday and for Verdugo, who can be coming into his second 12 months of arbitration and could have only one extra earlier than he’s eligible at no cost company, it’s a giant quantity: $6.9 million.
He’s not a younger participant on a wage near the league minimal, however as a substitute will now take up an honest chunk of change.
So who’s he? Because if Verdugo goes to only be one other mediocre defensive outfielder who hits .280 with 11 residence runs, $6.9 million a 12 months is the excessive finish of what he’ll be price.
Verdugo must get higher.
“We talked about this with (Andrew Benintendi) a few years ago,” Cora mentioned. “And you see the participant he has grow to be. He has grow to be a greater defender, a superb hitter, and I feel Verdugo has an opportunity to hit for energy, hit for common, however he can influence the sport operating the bases and enjoying protection.
“We’re going to push him hard this offseason to get back to play faster, to play quicker. I think athletic-wise, he can do that.”
The Red Sox have seen two very completely different variations of Verdugo within the three years since they acquired him from the Dodgers together with Jeter Downs and Connor Wong for Mookie Betts.
There’s the 2020 model of Verdugo, who performed quick, who triggered havoc when he received on base, who had a .367 on-base proportion because the leadoff hitter, who performed with lots of power and who was probably the greatest defensive outfielders within the recreation.
And there’s the ‘21 and ‘22 versions of Verdugo, who started putting the ball in the air, got a heavier dose of off-speed pitches, didn’t do a lot with them, and appeared like a a lot slower participant on the plate, on the bases and on protection.
In simply 53 video games in ‘20, Verdugo was worth 1.9 WAR and ranked as one of the most valuable players in the game. In 198 games since, he’s been price a mixed 3.3 WAR.
What occurred? The simple reply is that Verdugo has struggled to remain wholesome.
He felt wholesome early this season, when he began the 12 months hitting .313 by the primary two weeks. He informed the Herald it was the primary time he had felt totally wholesome in Boston, and he hoped to make the most of his pace greater than he had in earlier years.
A month later, Verdugo collided with Bogaerts in a nasty collision that appeared to have impacted each of their seasons.
Cora was requested final week why he thought Verdugo appeared lots slower this 12 months and the supervisor truly pointed to a distinct harm.
“He was a little bit banged up,” Cora mentioned. “Early on, he fouled off a ball within the opening collection right here towards Minnesota so he was banged up slightly bit.
“Also, he put on some weight, not in a bad way. He got bigger, kind of like the same narrative that happened with Benny in ’19, kind of like, get bigger to hit for extra base-hits. It cost him in other aspects of the game.”
But Cora additionally mentioned he’s bored with utilizing accidents as an excuse. Verdugo might want to be taught to maintain himself wholesome over a protracted season, particularly in ’23, when he plans on enjoying for Team Mexico within the World Baseball Classic in March.
“With him playing for Mexico, his offseason stuff is going to be different,” Cora mentioned. “He’s going to be in even better shape going into spring training. This is a guy, we envision him to be an impact player not only in the batter’s box, but on the other side.”
There’s no query Verdugo hasn’t appeared the identical on protection during the last couple of years. He was an elite defender in ‘20, when he led the league with seven outfield assists in simply 54 video games. He appeared to take naturally to the tough confindes of proper subject at Fenway Park, the place he routinely made spectacular performs.
He’s been much less impactful in left subject, and whereas Verdugo moved again to proper subject after the Sox launched Jackie Bradley Jr., Cora mentioned roster development will dictate the place he performs subsequent 12 months.
Kiké Hernandez is on the roster and will play wherever on the diamond. Otherwise, the Sox haven’t any ensures within the outfield and can clearly have to discover a large bat someplace on the sector, ideally at a nook outfield spot.
One approach or one other, the Sox want Verdugo to take a giant step up in ‘23.
Source: www.bostonherald.com