At the top of his list
Cora says Verdugo will hit either first or second this season
While Alex Cora is pushing Kiké Hernández to be the Red Sox’ leadoff hitter this season, he certainly also has big plans for Alex Verdugo.
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Cora revealed Friday definitively that Verdugo, who played most of last season as the leadoff man, will bat either first or second this year. Verdugo, in his first season with the Red Sox in 2020, was first or second in the order 35 times as he finished the season with a team-best .308 batting average and .367 on-base percentage.
With Hernández and Verdugo at the top of the order, the two could set the table nicely for an explosive lineup behind them that includes Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez.
“Alex is going to hit in the first third of the lineup. He’ll hit up there,” Cora said. “Like I’ve been saying, if you’re going to break it down, we’ll have the athletes … well, top two athletes. I mean, it all depends. The way I see it, Alex is going to lead off or hit second. Let’s leave it at that. I don’t want to crush people saying that they’re not athletic, yeah.”
There was something of a preview in Friday’s 6-5 win over the Rays, as Hernández, Verdugo, Martinez and Devers started at the top of the lineup. Verdugo made his 2021 spring debut in center field and hit a stand-up double off Rich Hill in his first at-bat.
Verdugo’s first spring appearance was delayed because the outfielder wanted more time to fine-tune his swing before taking real atbats, which Cora was more than fine with.
“He’s an interesting person to say the least,” Cora said of Verdugo. “His baseball IQ is way up there. I think he understands his body and we talk about it in the offseason. We’ve been talking about it the whole time. If that’s what gets him locked in, so be it. That’s the way we see it.”
Jimenez joins camp
The Red Sox added top outfield prospect Gilberto Jimenez to their spring training roster as a non-roster invitee. The 20-year-old Jimenez is the Red Sox’ No. 7-ranked overall prospect, according to Baseball America, and is one of the organization’s more intriguing talents who has elite speed and arm strength. He played 59 games for High-A Lowell in 2019 and batted .359.
Jimenez didn’t begin camp with the Red Sox because the team believed it had the infrastructure to help him at its academy in the Dominican Republic, a source told the Herald. But bringing him to Fort Myers will give them a chance to evaluate him up close.
“Just like the other kids, to be able to have him here, work out with us, learn the game and hopefully he can get some at-bats and go out there and see what he can do,” Cora said. “This is the first time I’ve seen him. Strong kid. Strong. Looking forward for him to go out there and learn from the guys. It should be fun to see him run around the bases.”
Gonzalez praises Cora
Marwin Gonzalez noted how successful and iconic the Red Sox have been as reasons for joining the team, but unsurprisingly, Cora’s return as manager played a significant role, too. The former Astros utility man spent the 2017 season in Houston with Cora when he was their bench coach and the two developed a close relationship.
“I think it’s the way that he handles everything and the way that he treats the players,” Gonzalez said of Cora. “He’s one of the best — well, now he’s a manager, but — one of the best coaches I ever had through my career. He knows how to handle things, how it gets to you, and the right moment to talk to you. And then he’s always patient, and I think he’s just super smart, so I think that’s a big key that we’ve got this time. And I appreciate him a lot.” …
Nathan Eovaldi was taken off his start today against the Twins because he missed a day this week due to personal reasons. Cora said he’ll most likely start again on Tuesday. …
Top prospect Triston Casas, who had to go to Boston for non-baseball medical reasons, returned to Fort Myers on Thursday night and is going through intake protocols. … Franchy Cordero passed his physical and will start working out with the Red Sox today.