BOGAERTS REMAINS BIG DEAL

Producing in shadows

As soon as Xander Bogaerts finished his swing, he knew it was gone. It was a 96-mph fastball down the middle and Bogaerts took a clean whack at it, sending it straight over the center-field fence on Wednesday afternoon to log RBI Nos. 99 and 100. He dropped the bat, looked to the bench and showed a sign of relief. “I remember looking into the dugout on that 3-2 count and I saw the coaches looking at me and I was worried about trying to hit it out,” Bogaerts said. “I was not putting no ball in play to hit a groundball base hit. I just wanted to try and get (100) over with.” Mookie Betts is having an MVP season and J.D. Martinez might be the best pure hitter in baseball, leaving little room for other Red Sox to bask in offensive glory. But Bogaerts’ breakout season at age 25 hasn’t gone overlooked in the locker room. The Red Sox marvel anyone could tally 100 RBI hitting behind Martinez, who entered the weekend with an MLB-best 127 RBI and a .330 average. “J.D. isn’t leaving a whole lot of guys on base for Bogey to drive in,” said David Price. “So that means Bogey has come up with a lot of big hits with runners on base.” Nobody in the American League has had more chances to hit with runners in scoring position than Martinez, who entered the weekend hitting an astounding .388 with a .485 on-base percentage in 194 chances. Yet Bogaerts still found a way. He ranks seventh with 177 chances with RISP, and he’s hit .345 with 14 doubles and 10 homers in those spots. “First of all, he’s talented,” Alex Cora said. “He finished strong and he really bought into what we want him to do as a hitter. Just try to drive the ball and do some damage. “Obviously with the traffic he has in front of him, there was a reason I wanted him to hit fifth, right behind J.D. because I felt there was going to be a lot of traffic and he’s taken advantage of it.” Bogaerts has always been a tough out, particularly with two strikes. He has outstanding plate coverage and isn’t afraid to take an outside pitch to right field for a single, something he did as well as anybody during his 196-hit 2015 season. But even with a .320 average that year, Bogaerts collected just 81 RBI. He only hit seven homers. Cora’s desire to change Bogaerts into a more potent hitter, even if that meant a lower batting average, was something the shortstop needed time to comprehend. “I just told him what I saw last year,” the manager said. “From the last series we played in the regular season last year, he took the firstpitch strike like 27 games in a row. This guy, he’s better. He can do some damage early in the count. When I got the job that’s something that I learned from them, from the Astros. And I’m like, ‘Hey, this is what people see from you guys.’ Some of them were surprised. I asked them, ‘Why do you guys do that?’ And they were like, ‘I have no idea.’ “It’s part of the culture. Because we always talk about the Red Sox and the Yankees grinding out at-bats, taking pitches and running the pitch count up. And probably that’s what they learned. But now we feel that, I told them, I said, ‘I don’t care. Just go ahead if it’s a pitch you can drive,’ and (hitting coach Tim Hyers) and (assistant Andy Barkett), they tell them, ‘If you can drive it, go ahead and do it.’ ” Bogaerts still takes a lot of pitches, but he’s given himself a lot more freedom to take big hacks in advantage counts. That’s resulted in 22 home runs, a new career high. “In the beginning of the year I was a little aggressive, but then you just go back to the guy that you were,” he said. “These last few games, it’s so weird. I was going to swing at the first pitch because I’ve not been swinging at the first pitch at lot. They threw me six balls and every time I get it I can’t even believe that they threw me balls right when I want to hit. So I just got to be relaxed sometimes, don’t swing at the first pitch and have a lousy rollover at shortstop. That’s real hard for me to do and to keep in my mind.” Last year, Bogaerts swung at just 55.4 percent of pitches in the strike zone. This year, he’s swung at 61.6 percent. His contact rate is about the same, but the more aggressive style has worked well for him, along with a few other factors. “Health,” he said. “Last year I

went through a lot of stuff. Health and confidence that Cora has in me. I think he does it to everyone. He does it to me. Always saying positive words, keeping it positive around here. Whenever he sees you looking down a little bit, he always makes sure to give you that positive advice or that positive tip that’s like a light bulb.” Of Bogaerts’ 100 RBI, 68 came hitting fifth. Only one other major leaguer has more than 54 RBI out of the five-hole this year: Oakland’s Matt Olson. More remarkable, Bogaerts’ 68 RBI came in just 84 games batting fifth. In the last 50 years, only Jim Edmonds, Andres Galarraga, Pat Burrell and Brian McCann have more RBI in fewer than 84 games hitting fifth. Collecting 100 RBI in total is “probably one of the best accomplishments I’ve had so far,” Bogaerts said. “I never envisioned doing it until probably later on in the season, when I kind of looked up and like, ‘Wow, there’s a chance.’ Then I just tried to put my mind to it. “It was always possible. The possibility is always there. It’s not something that if you don’t make it you’re going to cry or something. As I said, I was out for a couple weeks this year so I don’t think I was thinking about it at all until later parts in the year. Once you look up and say ‘Hey there’s a chance.’ Then you really try to get each and every one. Everyone you miss really hurts, too.” Especially when, as previously noted, Martinez has cashed in on so many opportunity from the four-spot. “Man, he does not leave anything for no one,” Bogaerts said. “He just racks up all the RBIs by a home run. The home run he hit he just brought everyone home and now I’ve got to hit with no one on and try to get a two-run homer. It’s just not going to happen. “It’s been amazing hitting behind him because of the loudness that he hits the ball is really hard. My first at-bat I was putting pine tar on, I was not looking and he just hit the ball and I kind of just flinched because it sounded so loud and the next think you know it’s in the gap for a double. He hits the ball so loud whenever he’s locked in.” Bogaerts is just the sixth shortstop in franchise history with 100 RBI. And while he’s one of three this season to drive in 100, joining Trevor Story and Manny Machado, they’re the first since Troy Tulowitzki in 2011. There have been just five 100-RBI shortstops in the last 10 years, following 19 in the previous 10. “I think he’s been one of the guys that keeps pushing us along,” Betts said of Bogaerts. “Even when we don’t have some guys that are feeling well, he’s always been steady with RBIs and hits, stealing bases, playing great defense and all those types of things. He’s having his best season yet and he’s only getting better.” Bogaerts will be a free agent after next season at just 26 years old, and is sure to set the market for the big group of shortstops coming behind him. It’ll be costly for the Red Sox to keep him, but they’re without any notable shortstops in the farm system. They’ll have to make the most of Bogaerts’ breakout year this October.

Devers staking his claim

Some young players might’ve handled it differently, but Rafael Devers handled three injuries, an extended stint in Triple A and a demotion from the starting lineup like a veteran. “It’s been a different season for me,” he said. “Injuries have kept me off the field and I’m really just trying to make the most of every opportunity I’m given and trying to help in any way I can.” The 21-year-old third baseman has gotten hot at the right time. Devers entered the weekend hitting .302 with five home runs in his last 11 games, making a strong case that he should be the starter in the postseason over Eduardo Nunez. “What can I say? It’s not up to me,” he said. “At the end of the day the coaches are going to make the decisions. I know I’m going to give 100 percent when my name is called.” He’s already made some Red Sox history, joining Ted Williams and Tony Conigliaro as the only players ever to hit 20 homers before their 22nd birthday. “He’s not chasing pitches out of the zone,” Cora said. “When he came back, I know it was a rehab assignment but it was a long one. I don’t know if that was a wake-up call. I talked about it, that he needs to play better. “He’s been very solid in the strike zone. When he does that, he can do some damage. Not chasing up. Sometimes he’s chasing down, but he’s in total control of the at-bat. He’s not anxious out there, I was joking around that he was acting like a kid, slamming the bat or talking to himself. But there’s none of that (lately). He’s done a good job.” Devers’ 21st homer on Wednesday — his second in the doubleheader opener against Baltimore — went an estimated 447 feet, landing more than a dozen rows behind the home bullpen. Asked about Williams’ famous red seat in the right field bleachers, where he allegedly hit one more than 500 feet, Devers said he was aware of it but didn’t have the power to hit one that far. “I don’t think I’ve ever hit a ball that well in my career,” he said of the 447-foot blast.