Red Sox Role Player Shines in WBC; Making Case For Additional Playing Time
Boston Red Sox infielder Yu Chang took the World Baseball Classic by storm over the weekend, and it's hard to say any of us saw it coming.
Chang represented Chinese Taipei in the WBC and got his home country of Taiwan going absolutely wild for a four-game stretch.
Chang went 7-for-16 with two home runs and eight RBIs in group play, which was good enough to be named the MVP of Pool A.
Chinese Taipei was unable to advance to the knockout stages, but that certainly didn't affect the impact this weekend had on the Red Sox utility man.
After a decisive 7-1 loss to Cuba in their final game on Sunday, Chang couldn't hold back the tears.
Chang has played for four different Major League Baseball teams during his four-year career thus far. It's safe to say the overly welcoming home crowd played a role in him letting it all out after an impressive run for him and his team.
This tweet from his postgame press conference really caught my attention.
"I feel like no one is with me" was a tough line to read.
I'm encouraged to see an MLB player being honest about the struggles of just staying in the big leagues. It's something that I don't think we give them nearly enough credit for. These are the elite of the elite. The absolute best at what they do. This was a friendly reminder that the human element should be factored in more often from the fan perspective with these players.
The Red Sox signed Chang to a one-year, $850,000 deal in February amid the news that former All-Star shortstop Trevor Story would miss at least the first half of this upcoming season after having right elbow surgery.
Even though Chang only played in 11 games for Boston last year, he is still a potential candidate to play an important role off the bench this season.
If this WBC is any indicator of his ceiling as a player, the Sox may be in a better position than expected heading into what promises to be an interesting year.
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