Xander Bogaerts Reveals Thoughts on Moving to Second Base for Padres
San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt told reporters on Friday morning that Xander Bogaerts is moving to second base this season.
Bogaerts spoke to the media on Friday afternoon regarding the switch.
“I signed as a shortstop, you know, but to me I just live and die baseball… We had this conversation earlier in the morning, and I was like, ‘Listen, man, if this is the way that you guys feel the team is better ...’ I respect Kim especially defensively. I actually admire him a lot. So maybe it can’t hurt. I’m just doing it in the best interest of the team. In the end, I feel like I’m at peace with with moving off. I felt like if I literally didn’t really want to I would have just let them know. And that would have been, I wouldn’t say a problem, but it might have been a tough situation.”
The 31-year-old has never played a major league game at second base. He has played 1,325 games at shortstop and 50 at third base. He won a World Series title at third base with Boston in 2013 and at shortstop in 2018.
"The only reason I came here was to win a World Series. If this is the way that we're going to get one, so be it. I was just thinking I won one at third base. I won one at shortstop. It would be very nice to win one at second base."
Shifting to second base gives the Padres the option to have their Gold Glove winner, Ha-Seong Kim, at the most important position on the field, but Bogaerts admitted that he will have a learning curve with playing on the right side of the field for the first time.
“I feel like it’s gonna be a little hard for me because I’m very used to seeing a guy come in front of me on the double play pivots,” Bogaerts said. “I feel that’s the only hard part. … But I mean, look at the bright side. There are not a lot of second baseman that can hit fourth in the big leagues. I’m looking at it that way.”
As long as Bogaerts stays in the middle of the infield — or even center field — he knows that his defense is respectable.
He was asked about potentially playing first base, but doesn't plan on moving to the corner any time soon.
“I see it this way: center field, shortstop, second base, that’s the triangle. You start going to the corners, you’re closer to the bench. I don’t want to be too quick going (to first).”
