Small ball has smaller role
Roenicke not teaching Sox players to bunt
FORT MYERS — Under a new manager, the 2020 Red Sox will continue to bunt infrequently.
“What are we teaching guys to bunt for, when I may give two sacrifices a year?” interim manager Ron Roenicke said on Tuesday. “Why spend all your time doing something that doesn’t really happen in the game? Back when I played, (former Dodgers manager Tommy) Lasorda would put me in to pinch-hit to bunt somebody over. It was a huge part of the game. The fundamentals and things we stressed every day were a big part of the game at that time. The game has changed. It’s not that way anymore. So to put that emphasis on that part doesn’t make any sense.”
The Sox had just 27 total sacrifices in two years under former manager Alex Cora. They ranked among the bottom in the league in both years.
“The only guy we really had last year who was good at it was Sandy Leon,” Roenicke said. “We don’t have him this year. Jackie (Bradley Jr.) works on it some. I can remember (Blake) Swihart a couple of years ago. We were in a situation we thought that would be a good time to sac bunt and later on I talked to him he said he had never sac bunted before in the minor leagues, so that’s kind of scary.”
Pillar, Bogaerts new leaders in the clubhouse
The Red Sox lost some veteran leaders in Mookie Betts and David Price, but Roenicke envisions Kevin Pillar and Xander Bogaerts among the guys who will take on leadership roles in 2020.
“I think Pillar, because of who he is and the personality he has and the experience he’s had, I see him being a big part of that,” he said.
Bogaerts has looked like a leader for years. He speaks multiple languages and connects with players from all backgrounds. He’s as accountable as they come and always stands in front of his locker to answer questions for the team after difficult losses. And he’s an AllStar on the field.
Do the Red Sox belong to Bogaerts now?
“I don’t know if I’d put it that way,” Roenicke said. “I think there’s so many good players on the team, I guess what I’d think about it is if he was just a standout player (compared) to everyone else we have, then it becomes that. But because we have some other great players, I really don’t look at it that way.”
Roenicke said Bogaerts and Betts are very different in their demeanor.
“Mookie showed up to the ballpark basically in the same mood every day, but it wasn’t as high, smiling,” the skipper said. “Bogie shows up every day and as soon as you see him, there’s a smile. He’s in a great mood every day, for however many games we play. That’s really difficult to do. I think that’s what the difference is, and it brings a smile to everyone else’s face.”
Sox changing tone on Verdugo
The Red Sox wanted to clear up comments by team president Sam Kennedy made on Monday, when he was asked about Alex Verdugo’s role in an incident from 2015 in Dodgers spring training, when a police report was filed about a 17-year-old girl who suffered physical abuse in a hotel room while Dodgers players were present.
Kennedy said the Red Sox did not make any attempt to contact the alleged victim in the case.
“I can address just that we did an extremely high level of due diligence with Major League Baseball and the Los Angeles Dodgers, and I actually spoke to the commissioner directly about it myself, and we are comfortable with the decision (to acquire him),” Kennedy said Monday. “Otherwise we would not have moved forward in that direction. Had a chance to meet Alex in person this morning, and let him know that the entire organization is here to support him and all of our players. So we’re comfortable with the level of due diligence we did.”
The Red Sox clarified that Kennedy did not intend to say that the club “supports” Verdugo in the context of the 2015 incident. Instead, he meant the club offers him a support system like they offer all young players in the organization.
The key piece in the Betts trade, Verdugo is unlikely to be ready for the start of the season due to a stress fracture in his back.
New catcher coming?
The Sox are reportedly in agreement on a minor league contract with catcher Jonathan Lucroy, though it’s not yet official.
He was an MVP candidate under the Roenicke-led Brewers in 2014 but has hit just .248 with a .666 OPS over the last three years. The 33-year-old is expected to be a depth option behind Christian Vazquez and Kevin Plawecki.