Andrew Vaughn spent most of his first two major-league seasons within the outfield.
With José Abreu’s departure to the Houston Astros, Vaughn is making the transfer to his conventional place at first base.
“You still have to keep working every day,” Vaughn mentioned Monday of the transition. “You’ve obtained to get higher. I wasn’t at first an excessive amount of the final couple of years, extra within the outfield. Just obtained to attempt to do my greatest in spring and prepare for the boys.
“That’s what I played for so many years. I’ve always been an infielder. Learning the outfield was definitely tough. It was different. It’s completely opposite from the infield. (I’m) excited and ready to go.”
The No. 3 choose within the 2019 draft has impressed rookie Sox supervisor Pedro Grifol.
“He’s been working his butt off here,” Grifol mentioned Thursday. “He seems like he’s actually comfy at first base. We all know he’s a very good hitter and he’s in the beginning of growing into the participant that he’s going to be.
“As good as he’s been thus far, he’s just scratching the surface.”
Vaughn, 24, made 100 begins within the outfield as a rookie in 2021, 86 in left and 14 in proper. He had 10 begins at first base.
Last season Vaughn had 79 begins within the outfield (40 in left, 39 in proper) and 22 begins at first.
“Outfield is more explosiveness to the ball,” he mentioned. “Infield is more quickness, footwork, lateral stuff. So there’s some give and some take with it.”
Vaughn juggled adjusting to the outfield with hitting big-league pitching. He slashed .271/.321/.429, main the Sox with 17 homers and 76 RBIs in 2022.
“There’s a lot of things that I definitely want to improve on,” Vaughn mentioned. “It’s definitely tough to do it throughout the season. That’s why in the offseason I was working on some things. Getting ready to go into this season full force.”
Hitting coach José Castro mentioned Vaughn has a “high ceiling with him.”
“This kid hits the ball everywhere,” Castro mentioned Wednesday. “We’re trying to keep him off the ground to the pull side. He’s been working on that and he’s getting some really good work in.”
Regardless of the place he performs, Vaughn’s mindset is to avoiding taking his at-bats with him to the sector.
“That’s separate,” Vaughn mentioned. “Keep those separate and work on getting better throughout the season and trying not to hit that wall and get over it.”
Vaughn slashed .301/.350/.470 within the first half final season and .234/.285/.381 after the All-Star break. He put in endurance work, together with cardio and lifting, hoping to keep away from hitting a wall late within the season.
“That was my second time playing 162,” Vaughn mentioned. “Did a little bit better but personally I want to do a lot better. Getting the legs ready and just being able to play 162, that’s the goal.”
The Sox understand it’s not on only one participant to copy Abreu’s manufacturing.
“It’s definitely tough losing Pito,” Vaughn mentioned. “Everybody knows who he was to this organization. It’s a business but we have to push forward and we have to pull our own.”
Abreu signed a three-year take care of the Astros in November. He had six 100-RBI seasons in 9 years with the Sox.
“This lineup runs deep, so nobody in this lineup should put any added pressure about carrying the load,” Grifol mentioned. “Everybody must be themselves, work to maximise their capability and the depth now we have goes to deal with the remaining.
“All we have to do is work and prepare ourselves as hard as we can to maximize their ability.”
Vaughn mentioned it stays to be seen whether or not shifting again to the infield will put much less stress on his legs.
“It’s just going to be a process throughout the whole season,” Vaughn mentioned. “Just maintaining the balance of it, keeping my legs healthy the whole time.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com