Red Sox's Alex Cora Names Who Will Be Primary Designated Hitter In 2024
The Boston Red Sox still appear to be in the process of supplementing the current roster with external talent despite spring training already having begun.
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow still needs to find at least one starting pitcher and a right-handed hitter with positional versatility -- likely an outfielder.
Boston is not at the point of setting their lineup for the upcoming season but they do have their primary designated hitter picked out.
"Alex Cora said he expects Masataka Yoshida to see more playing time in the designated hitter spot than anyone else," MassLive's Sean McAdam wrote Tuesday.
Cora is not declaring an official DH but claimed Yoshida would lead the team in at-bats at that position.
Yoshida hit .289 with 51 extra-base hits including 15 home runs, 72 RBIs and a .783 OPS (109 OPS+) in 140 games last season, his first stateside.
The 30-year-old's stat line does not scream slugger but he makes sense for the DH role for a myriad of reasons.
For starters, if you watched Yoshida play on a day-to-day basis, it was clear that he was out of gas at times, which led to a lot of weak grounders. Having more time off his feet instead of in the outfield should do wonders for him. Pair that with a full year of Major League Baseball under his belt including a revamped offseason program -- Yoshida's power should become much more consistent.
The other reality is that Yoshida is far from a stellar defender. He posted -8 outs above average last season while playing half of his games in Fenway Park's shortened Green Monster.
The Red Sox's defense was historically bad last season and Yoshida was a part of the problem. Taking him off the field and ideally getting at least league-average production in left field would improve the team's overall defense notably.
The Red Sox did not make the major splashes fans had hoped for -- though players such as Jordan Montgomery remain available -- so it will be crucial to optimize the small details such as defensive alignment.
Yoshida moving into a role he can thrive in is a strong start from the coaching staff.
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