Sox ink big bat with Renfroe
Drafted by team in 2010
The Red Sox were the first team to take a chance on Hunter Renfroe. It’s only right that he eventually wound up in Boston.
Renfroe, who was drafted by the Red Sox in the 31st round of the 2010 draft, decided to attend Mississippi State and ended up being a first-round pick. But a little more than a decade after his initial draft selection, it all came full circle for Renfroe on Monday, as the outfielder signed a one-year contract to join the Red Sox.
“I’m probably going to text (Red Sox scout) Danny Watkins after this and tell him that I took 10 years to sign with the Red Sox, but I finally did it,” Renfroe said. “It’s pretty cool and I’m very excited for it.”
Renfroe, who was nontendered by the Rays after spending one season with them, will receive a base salary of $3.1 million in 2021. The 28-year-old could remain under team control through the 2023 season as arbitration-eligible.
In Renfroe, the Red Sox are getting a right-handed hitter who can supplement left-handed hitting outfielders Alex Verdugo and Andrew Benintendi, providing affordable depth. While he hasn’t hit for average — a career .228 hitter over five seasons — Renfroe blasted a career-high 33 homers in 2019 with the Padres, and his pull-heavy tendencies should suit him well at Fenway Park. He’s also something of an underrated defender, a finalist for the Gold Glove in 2019 when his 23 defensive runs saved tied for second-most among major-league outfielders.
It’s more likely that Renfroe won’t be an everyday player, but the Red Sox think highly of him.
“He’s a very well-rounded player,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said. “The power is obvious and that’s been kind of his main calling card throughout his career. But he’s more than a one-trick pony. He’s an athlete. He’s a really good defensive outfielder so he should be able to contribute on both sides of the ball. His offensive game is really made for Fenway Park. …
“He has the upside to be more than a platoon player. He has the upside to be a regular contributor. He has done that in the past in San Diego. It was a crowded outfield situation this year with the Rays so he wasn’t able to do that. But the talent is there to be a really positive contributor more often than not.”
Renfroe wasn’t necessarily surprised to be let go by the Rays but he’s looking forward to getting back on track after struggling in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, when he hit .156 with eight homers. He’s particularly excited to play at Fenway, where he had success in the Rays’ lone visit to Boston in 2020 as he hit a pair of homers in a sweep.
“Obviously the Green Monster is real,” Renfroe said. “That field is unprecedented … short, 310 to left field and a giant wall out there. Obviously just the memories in history that people have at that field is just incredible and just to be part of it that is just like a little kid’s dream. I really look forward to being out there. I had a great series there this year and hope to build off that.”
Defensively, Renfroe said he doesn’t care where he plays. He’s played 280 career games in right field, 123 in left and just three in center, and he isn’t concerned about playing right at Fenway despite its big dimensions. He said he got comfortable playing right at San Diego’s Petco Park with its big right-center field.
Renfroe knows he has a big opportunity in front of him and seems to have a chip on his shoulder. He’s hoping to show he can be more than a platoon player, as Bloom suggested.
“Obviously I know the way I play. I know what I’m capable of,” Renfroe said. “Last year was not a very good year for me to have, but I know what I’m capable of. I know the Red Sox and Chaim, I know what he’s capable of. That’s a huge thing for me to know that they have that kind of vision for me. I look forward to proving a lot of people wrong.”
After what’s been a slow start to the offseason, the signing of Renfroe is the first domino of several needs on Bloom’s checklist. The Red Sox are still need of an everyday center fielder — general manager Brian O’Halloran said last week that Jackie Bradley Jr., who entered free agency, is on their radar — and Bloom is exploring several avenues to complete his outfield.
“I think we still have room to add,” Bloom said. “I always talk about depth and it’s so important. But I do think we still have room to add without straining our roster. The good thing is we have a number of outfielders who are all good enough athletes to play center field but we also still have room to augment that with a center fielder or a corner outfielder. So we have options and different paths we can take, but it would be nice to be able to continue to increase our depth as we go forward.”