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cott Boras’ impressive resume as a professional baseball agent has attracted some of the best hitters in the major leagues.
At the moment, Boras’ Boston Red Sox clients Xander Bogaerts and Stephen Drew are not among those hitters.
With the first half of the 2014 season in the books, Bogaerts and Drew have been among the biggest offensive disappointments for the struggling Sox. Both are batting well under .250 on the year, with Bogaerts dropping to .235 after a massive slump and Drew wallowing away at a .151 clip in 28 games played this year.
Boras, of course, isn’t about to give up on his Boston clients, especially the 21-year-old Bogaerts.
“… He’s a generational player. He’s in that category of the (Mike) Trouts and the (Bryce) Harpers and the (Manny) Machados,” Boras said Monday in Minneapolis, via WEEI. ” … He is a great, great young player who showed on the most pressurized stage, the World Series stage, that he’s a baseball player of extraordinary skills.”
As for Drew, whose signing with the club in May wasn’t exactly greeted with widespread praise, Boras says that patience is key, citing a propensity for plate discipline and long-term success that began with Drew’s brother, J.D.
“The Drews take pitches. The Drews work the counts,” Boras said. “I think to get that acumen of being comfortable in the batter’s box, that kind of started to unfold a little bit in Houston. He’s a lifetime .270 hitter. That’s not going to go away. And he’s in the prime of his career. So, I’m not concerned about that.”
Boras’ optimism is not unfounded, as Bogaerts still has plenty of time to grow into a successful major league hitter, while Drew has proven in the past that he can turn things around.
For Red Sox fans, they’re hoping that turnaround moment comes sooner rather than later.
Photo via Bob DeChiara/USA Today Sports Images
