Mike Napoli has no complaints about his quality of life.
Napoli, who is entering the second year of a two-year, $32 million contract he signed last offseason, isn’t shy about professing his love for Boston. The first baseman developed a unique relationship with the city during the Red Sox’s successful 2013, and he can absolutely envision continuing the relationship well into the future.
“Looking from right now where I am in my career, I wouldn’t want to play anywhere else,” Napoli recently told WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford. “I want to play for a while, as long as I possibly can. This feels like home to me, being able to play in Boston. When you get (into) the league and you play in different places, it was always somewhere I wanted to play. And now that I have, I want to play here for the rest of my time. That’s how much I love it.”
Napoli hit .259 with 23 homers, 92 RBIs and an .842 OPS in 2013. He battled injuries for much of 2014 and finished the year with a .248 average, 17 homers, 55 RBIs and a .789 OPS in 119 games. There’s no denying Napoli is an important part of the Red Sox’s offense, which is coming off a disappointing season, so it’s reasonable to think Boston could at some point pursue an extension with the 33-year-old, especially given the organization’s dearth of first base prospects.
“It’s kind of how I am. I feel like it’s a blue-collar city. It’s older. I like the look of it,” Napoli told Bradford of playing in Boston. “I would wake up and walk to the field 1 1/2 miles away. I’m a people-watch person, so walking to the field was cool for me. People were everywhere.
“In Anaheim and Texas, it wasn’t like that. It was a cool feeling. Everybody cared about baseball season. It was a different atmosphere for me, where in L.A., I’m driving 30 minutes to the park. You just drive to the stadium and then you see fans. It was all new for me. To this day, I love it. I bought a place in Boston. I could see myself when I’m done playing living here.”
Baseball obviously is a business. An everlasting relationship never is guaranteed. But Napoli, a Florida native, proved last offseason that money wasn’t his No. 1 priority. Staying in Boston simply was an opportunity too good to pass up.
Perhaps it’ll remain that way the next time the sides discuss a contract.
Photo via Anthony Gruppuso/USA TODAY Sports Images
