BOSTON -- The chatter about Xander Bogaerts’ lack of home runs -- his game-deciding grand slam in Monday night’s 8-7 win over the Tampa Bay Rays was just his seventh in 564 at-bats this season --implies there’s something wrong with the Red Sox shortstop’s game.
Yes, we are bedazzled by young shortstops who can go deep, like Houston’s 20-year-old rookie, Carlos Correa, who has 18 home runs in his first 376 at-bats. Or Nomar Garciaparra, who hit 30 as a 23-year-old Red Sox rookie; Alex Rodriguez, who hit 36 as a 20-year-old in his first full season with the Mariners; Cal Ripken Jr., who hit 27 at age 22 for the Orioles; or Ernie Banks, who was only 24 when he hit a mind-boggling 44 home runs for the Cubs.
Bogaerts, who turns 23 on Oct. 1, had joked about his absent home run production in Toronto last weekend after Jackie Bradley Jr. had launched the longest home run of his career, 448 feet, to tie a game against the Blue Jays.
"That guy doesn't hit singles," Bogaerts said. "He only hits doubles, triples, home runs. All I do is hit singles. Just the opposite."
Even after he golfed a slider from Brandon Gomes off a billboard at the back of the Monster on Monday night for his first career slam, Bogaerts was expressing dismay that more balls off his bat hadn’t left the premises.
“I hit so many balls to the outfield -- Seattle, Baltimore, on the wall -- they just don’t want to go over,’’ he said. “Nice to get that one to go over; hopefully next year I’ll hit some balls that will go over.’’
But by focusing on the missing component of Bogaerts’ game this season, the spectacular improvement he has made at the plate in another area, one that has made him a much more dangerous hitter this season and ultimately could lead to a spike in power, is in danger of being overlooked.
Bogaerts has 182 hits this season. Of that number, 149 have been hit to either center field (91) or the opposite field (58). Only 33 of his hits, including Monday night’s home run and double, were pulled.
Last season, his first full season in the big leagues, Bogaerts was much more pull happy with 57 hits pulled, 61 up the middle and only 11 hit the opposite way.
Working with hitting coach Chili Davis and assistant hitting coach Victor Rodriguez, Bogaerts has become much more accomplished at using the entire field. It is the major reason why he is batting .323, second only to Miguel Cabrera in the American League, and why he has been such a terrific hitter with runners in scoring position (50-for-142, .342), with the bases loaded (10-for-24, .417, with 26 RBIs) and with runners in scoring position with two out (25-for-63, .397).
Bogaerts was exaggerating, of course, about being exclusively a singles hitter. His 31 doubles are tied with David Ortiz for second-most on the team, behind Mookie Betts’ 36. Bogaerts also has tripled three times.
The discipline required to take a pitch the other way should lead to more home runs, as pitchers realize they can’t live on the outside of the plate against Bogaerts, and he develops a better sense of which pitches he can drive.
“I would like to rack up hits,’’ he said when someone suggested a power splurge lies in his future. “I like hits. We’ve got David [Ortiz], Pablo [Sandoval] and Hanley [Ramirez], those guys to hit home runs, so I think that’s enough.’’
Ortiz might disagree especially since these days, the majestic shots off Ramirez’s bat come only in batting practice while Sandoval has hit a modest 10 home runs. But Bogaerts clearly is just coming into his own, on both sides of the ball. Place a ceiling on him at your own risk.
