Chaim Bloom, Alex Cora Reveal Red Sox's Plans At Shortstop, Second Base
The Boston Red Sox have been placed in a self-inflicted bind with the departure of shortstop Xander Bogaerts and the recent surgery on second baseman Trevor Story.
While the middle infield options appear to be bleak, the organization does have a pair of candidates in mind to succeed their All-Star duo.
“We have a lot of confidence in (Kiké Hernández). We have this whole way,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom told the audience at the team's yearly Winter Weekend event on Friday. “It’s one of the great things about him. He’s basically a plus defender wherever you put him on the field. There are not many guys in baseball you can say that about.”
Red Sox manager Alex Cora heavily implied that he'd told Hernández he's in line to be the starting shortstop next season.
“He’s excited about it. I do believe he can do it. His arm plays. His first step is amazing. His instincts are great,” Cora told the audience. “He can hit for power. If we can get power from that position, power from second base and power from center field, we’re in a better spot than we were a few weeks ago and probably last year.”
While a one-for-one swap from Bogaerts to Hernández is a notable downgrade, Cora's point about improving up the middle as a whole is valid.
Newly acquired outfielder Adam Duvall is expected to provide more power than the entire outfield group a year ago. The 34-year-old's last full season was in 2021, when he blasted 38 home runs. Last year Alex Verdugo, Kiké Hernandez, Rob Refsnyder and Jarren Duran combined for just 26 home runs.
It would not be inconceivable for Hernández to outperform Bogey's 53 extra-base hits including 15 home runs from 2022 -- the versatile slugger logged 55 extra-base hits with 20 home runs in 2021.
The second base position featured a rotating cast last season, and likely will offer more of the same this year, but Christian Arroyo is the leading candidate to start at the moment.
“As of now, Christian is going to play a lot," Cora said. "He’s a guy that I know there are a lot of red flags as far as the physical part of it, right? The injuries. But when he’s on the field, he’s a pretty good one. The way he played second base in 2021 was solid. He’s a very talented kid who can run the bases, who can play good defense, and when he’s on, he’s a good hitter. So as of now where we at, Christian’s going to get a lot of repetitions at second base.”
Boston is expected to acquire multiple middle infielders prior to spring training, with Elvis Andrus and Josh Harrison being the most likely additions. Both veterans would mix in well with a middle infield group that severely lacks depth.
For now, the Red Sox appear confident with Hernández and Arroyo leading the charge, but the aforementioned potential additions could shake things up.
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