The Red Sox Infield Shuffle Down The Stretch

Posted by kdana2012

Xander Bogaerts is ranked as the 2nd best Shortstop prospect in baseball, and the 6th best overall prospect in the game on mlb.com. Some are comparing him to Manny Machado of Baltimore due to their similar skill set and maturity at such a young age. I think the Red Sox would be very happy if he produces similarly to the young Orioles Third Baseman. Boston traded away its top defense Infield prospect (in Jose Iglesias) to create room for Bogaerts.

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By Ryan Dana (MLB Reports Writer and Red Sox Correspondent): Follow @ryandana1

As September approaches all teams have some uncertainty with their team heading towards the playoffs or the links.

Even serious contenders like the Red Sox have inefficiencies that they would like to correct.

Their decisions now will be under harsher criticism than ever as the franchise has missed out on the playoffs the past two seasons in dismal fashion.

There are certainly still big question marks on the clubs pitching staff like the health of Clay Buchholz.

The outfield also has question marks like Shane Victorino who is playing through injury right now to the point where he has dropped hitting from the left side (at the moment) because the injury affects his swing too much from that side of the plate.

I may not be the biggest Stephen Drew supporter, and I certainly advocated for Iglesias stealing his spot a lot, but you can’t deny he has come on strong of late. If he can continue to have a September and October like he has had August, I think his slow start to the year will have been forgiven.

With that being said, I believe the most crucial decisions will be what to do with the infield. I will start off by saying there is really no question about what to do at Second Base.

The answer is simply, Dustin Pedroia.

To start the season, the idea for the left side of the infield was to have Stephen Drew at Shortstop and Will Middlebrooks at Third Base.

Stellar play from Jose Iglesias, poor play from Will Middlebrooks, and injury to Stephen Drew has all contributed to the plan going awry for a time.

Now with both Middlebrooks and Drew playing well and Iglesias gone it would seem they are back to their original plan, but the play of one 20 year old phenom has invited his name into the infield conversation.

The long awaited call-up of top prospect Xander Bogaerts finally happened and he has already seen himself in a few games with the big club.

The question is, what role does he play going forward (this season)?

Bogaerts crushed AA and AAA this year, but how much can realistically be expected from one of the youngest players in the MLB at this point in the season?

Earlier in the season it seemed like Boegaerts could have outperformed both Middlebrooks and Drew offensively, but now it is far from clear.

I do not think any less of Bogaerts ability to hit big league pitching right now, but Middlebrooks and Drew have played much better of late.

Since being recalled from Pawtucket, Middlebrooks has hit .356/.444/.556 with 2 HR, 3 2Bs and 7 RBI in just 14 Games (45 ABs) in August.

Looking at monthly splits, Nava may be the most consistent hitter on this Red Sox ball club. His overall .292/.380/.432 line should have earned him all the playing time he can handle if you ask me. He has been a major reason the Sox have exceeded expectations, because he has exceeded just about all the expectations people had for him.

A small sample size for sure, but that doesn’t mean it won’t continue.

In an interview Middlebrooks said that while he didn’t really change his approach from earlier in the year, he did say he was becoming more consistent at it though.

As August has been kind to him, it too has been the best month of Stephen Drew’s 2013 season. He is hitting .309/.376/.870.

That marks the highest BA, OBP, and SLG% for him in any month this year.

He also has 3 HR and 14 RBI this month which is just 1 RBI shy of the numbers he put up in May, his best month regarding those two statistical categories this season.

At this point in the year I think bringing up Bogaerts makes all the sense in the world, regardless of Middlebrooks and Drew’s play.

Bogaerts is clearly the future (I’m guessing at Shortstop) and giving him a taste of the Majors going into the offseason should help him figure out what he needs to work on to be ready to contribute by Opening Day 2014.

Leaving him in the Minors at this point does very little too, as their season is on the verge of ending.

By being brought up prior to September call-ups, Bogaerts is also an option for the Red Sox and their playoff roster if they choose.

I’m not sure it is even worth mentioning considering how small of a sample size it is, but Bogaerts has fared pretty well in his first 4 games in the Majors. He is 3 for 9 with 1 Double and 1 RBI.

Having Middlebrooks and Drew heat up in August, and having Bogaerts challenge for playing time is hardly a problem.

It will be interesting to see how much playing time Bogaerts can earn, and how much Farrell will allow him.

The biggest question mark in my opinion is what to do at First Base. Mike Napoli has had his struggles, and coming off a plantar fascitis injury, who knows if he is really healthy enough to bring his numbers up.

While Napoli may not have impressed me a ton at the plate this season, his defense at first is better than I expected. His hitting statistics this season look a lot like his career averages making it look more likely that his ridiculous 2011 campaign may have been more of a mirage than any other season. He still may be the best option the Red Sox have this year though.

As August has treated the rest of the infield well, Napoli has hit just .214, but far his lowest BA of any month this season. He has also K’d in 20 of 56 ABs this month, so there is little to suggest he is heating up.

Sitting Napoli more often would certainly be a viable solution, but who would replace him at 1B?

Mike Carp, hasn’t been able to maintain his outstanding production from earlier in the season. He is hitting just .222/.241/.500 in August.

A better solution may be Daniel Nava. He hasn’t been playing First Base long, but he has logged 15 games there this season, and is hitting better than Carp or Napoli at the moment.

Nava’s hitting .375/.468/.993 in August.

Consequently, playing Nava more at 1B may leave a void in Left Field which would presumably be filled by seeing Jonny Gomes more regularly.

Seeing Gomes and his .342 OBP (.390 in August) doesn’t sound too bad right now.

Obviously there is room for everyone to get some playing time in, but I don’t think it would a bad thing to let Napoli play more sparingly for a little while.

Maybe he would benefit from a reduced workload. It sure couldn’t hurt his plantar fasciitis.

In the end, First Base may end up being the Red Sox weak link in the infield, even though Shortstop and Third Base didn’t look a whole lot better much of the year.

The postseason isn’t a guarantee, and it is still just over a month away, but the Red Sox have some key players getting hot at the right time which could bode well for their improbable run at an AL East title this year.

With Middlebrooks/Drew playing well now, and Peavy throwing like its 2007 (or something like that), Ben Cherington is looking pretty good right now for his deadline move.

On a final note, I think this article might prelude some events of the offseason. Suring up the 1^st base position will be a focus…again.

Jake Peavy might make looking for another frontline starter a luxury, and Bogaerts and Middlebrooks are likely the left side of the infield going forward.

What do you think about that? Let me know if you like, I would be interested to hear others opinions.

Gomes has put up numbers that are overall in line with his career averages which aren’t overly impressive, but it can’t be stressed enough how much of a welcomed presence he is for the new look Red Sox of 2013. His intangibles are worth whatever he lacks in overall play, and as much as “clutchness” is a product of opportunity, Gomes has seized every bit of it. He reminds me a little of Trot Nixon, the “dirt dog” type of player.

*** The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com and their partners***

A big thank-you goes out to our baseball writer Ryan Dana for preparing today’s featured article. Ryan is senior studying physical education with a concentration in coaching at Bridgewater State University.

He has been playing baseball since he was 7 and coaching since he was 14. Ryan wants to be a college baseball coach once he graduates.

Ryan is, and always will be, a diehard Boston Red Sox fan. Secondary to baseball, he is a big health and fitness enthusiast.

You can find Ryan on Twitter . Follow @ryandana1

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