Cora makes power move in lineup
Dalbec excited to be batting ninth
It might seem odd for the Red Sox to plan on using Bobby Dalbec, one of the most physically imposing players in baseball, as the nine-hitter.
Especially if you remember who has been hitting ninth for the Red Sox for the better part of the last decade: Jackie Bradley Jr.
But Bradley has actually been one of the game’s best nine-hole hitters. Since batting order position stats were first saved in 2002, he ranks second in MLB with 37 home runs from the No. 9 position. Only Brandon Inge (39 homers) has more long balls from the bottom of the order.
Of the 97 players with at least 500 at-bats from the nine-hole since 2002, Bradley ranks fourth in OPS (.764).
“Hitting ninth is cool,” Dalbec said Wednesday. “I get to flip the lineup potentially, and just hand it off to the next guy.”
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he’s “trying something different” with Dalbec in the nine-hole.
“Something that I envisioned throughout the offseason,” Cora said. “This is a great way of maximizing our lineup. You see the atbats. Even Franchy (Cordero), in the short period of time, although it’s still spring training, you can see a conscious effort of making contact. It will be great for him if he makes contact. He can do damage.
“And then with Bobby, we will protect him. I think he’s protected in that spot. And if you are the opposition, there’s no breathing room with us. Christian ( Vazquez) is one of the best offensive catchers the last two years in the big leagues and he’s going to be hitting seventh. Certain situations, he’ll hit higher. It’s just a good lineup. It’s a complete lineup. It just happens that our bottom guys, they hit for power.”
With six home runs this spring, Dalbec is tied with his teammate, Michael Chavis, and Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager for the MLB lead.
“It feels good,” Dalbec said. “I’m not gonna say hitting a home run ever feels bad, but yeah, it feels good. I’ve been more pleased with how my at-bats have gone.”
Dalbec hit .263 with eight homers in just 80 atbats last year. Given his ability to hit homers to all fields, he’s certainly capable of leading the league in a full season.
“I try to enter deep in the zone and be on plane with the pitch as early as I can,” he said. “I’m comfortable getting deep because I know I can hit the ball hard the other way. I don’t feel like I have to sell out pullside or get that extra giddyup to do damage. Once I start getting in that groove where I start turning on pitches more and turning on heaters, that will kind of open up the field a little more.
“But if my default in my head is right-center, and I know I can do damage there, it makes hitting a lot less stressful.”
Ace in the hole
Pitching coach Dave Bush spoke to reporters on Wednesday and noted that Chris Sale has run into several complications since getting Tommy John surgery on March 30 of last year. The typical recovery is about 12 to 15 months, though it varies from pitcher to pitcher.
Sale has yet to throw off a mound, meaning he should still have at least a few months of build-up ahead of him.
“I don’t know what the date is going to be” for Sale to throw off a mound, Bush said. “But he’s moving forward at a good pace right now.
“As with all Tommy John recoveries, there are ups and downs, various things along the way. He’s had his fair share already. But he’s very encouraged. I’m encouraged by what he’s doing lately. He’ll keep plugging away.”
Asked if the team still expects him to return at some point this season, Bush said he hopes so.
Throwing off the mound would be an important step, but there are no “exciting milestones,” the pitching coach said.
“It’s moving from three days a week throwing to four, from four to five, from 90 feet to 120 feet, then from long toss to some mound work, from 10 pitches on the mound to 15,” he said. “It’s not a glamorous progression. There are very few high-intensity moments where you say, ‘Wow, this is a big step.’ A lot of it is behind the scenes, small steps.
“Then sometimes you look back after a while and are like, ‘OK, we made a ton of progress this week, or the last two weeks.’ It’s a long road, man. He’s already almost a year into it. That’s how things go. Most Tommy Johns are 12 to 18 months. Some are even longer than that. He’s going to get there. It’s a matter of being patient and continuing to check the boxes and move step by step.”
More health updates
They shortened Eduardo Rodriguez‘s outing on Tuesday when it appeared he was fatigued, though he told Bush he felt better on Wednesday.
With pitching prospect Bryan Mata out indefinitely with a slight tear in his ulnar collateral ligament, the Sox are looking at their pitching depth differently. Tanner Houck, who was dynamite in three starts late last season, will begin the season in the minors and looks to be the premier depth starter. Bush also identified right-hander Connor Seabold, acquired from the Phillies last year, as another primary option.
Mata is currently doing strengthening exercises and there’s no timetable on when he’ll begin throwing again.