One of the prevailing late-season storylines surrounding the Boston Red Sox is left fielder Hanley Ramirez’s ongoing transition to first base. Down in Texas, one of Ramirez’s former teammates is (at least temporarily) trying to do the opposite.
Former Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli made his debut in left field Sunday during the Rangers’ 12-4 rout of the Oakland A’s.
Napoli never had played a position other than first base and catcher before Sunday, but with Texas starved for offense — scoring three or fewer runs in seven of its previous nine games — manager Jeff Banister decided to do some experimenting to get the slugger’s bat in the lineup.
“This is not a new idea. We’ve been working on this since he got here,” Banister told reporters before Sunday’s game, via the Star-Telegram. “He’s going to run down what he can. He’s going to catch what he gets to and he’s going to throw the ball into the cutoff man.”
“I’ve been out there taking fly balls and throwing to bases,” Napoli added. “I guess (Sunday) is the day to get out there and do it.”
Napoli’s first foray into the outfield was an uneventful one, however. He did not have a single ball hit his way during the first five innings, after which he rotated back to his usual post at first.
Thumbnail photo via Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports Images
