CLEVELAND — Xander Bogaerts didn’t reach 200 hits. Who cares?
Bogaerts, who finished with 196 hits after a 1-for-3 effort Sunday in the Boston Red Sox’s season finale against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field, did more than enough in 2015 to cement himself as one of Major League Baseball’s up-and-coming stars. It speaks volumes about his hard work and dedication on the heels of a 2014 season in which one could argue the shortstop’s stock took a hit.
“You learn from struggles, you learn from hard times and you definitely appreciate whenever things are going good for you, that’s for sure,” Bogaerts said after Sunday’s game.
It’s been a unique ride to this point for the 23-year-old. Bogaerts burst onto the scene in the 2013 World Series, immediately making an impact as the Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in six games. He failed to carry that success into 2014, though, forcing some outside the organization to wonder whether he’d ever evolve into the superstar many scouts expected him to become when he was labeled baseball’s No. 2 prospect before last season.
Well, it appears such panic was premature.
Bogaerts hit .320 with seven home runs, 81 RBIs, 35 doubles and a .776 OPS in his sophomore campaign, which marked a drastic improvement over his .240 average and .660 OPS of his rookie year. He also cut down his strikeout total from 138 in 594 plate appearances in 2014 to 101 over 654 plate appearances in 2015.
And yet that huge step forward at the dish wasn’t even Bogaerts’ biggest accomplishment. He said Sunday he was more satisfied with his defense, which was night and day from last season.
“I always knew I had good hands, but just making all those plays, sometimes I’m like, ‘Wow. I really came a long way,’ ” Bogaerts said. “I’m definitely proud of myself. Now I’ve learned how to control the ball more accurately over there (to first base). I learned what my body needs to do, the right position I need to be in, so that was kind of the best part for me — just realizing and understanding what I needed to do to get into a good position (defensively).”
Bogaerts isn’t totally satisfied. The Red Sox finished the season six games under .500 (78-84) and in last place for the second straight year. But Boston has an impressive, young nucleus in place. And it’s not unreasonable to think Bogaerts will be right in the thick of things when the Red Sox bounce back.
“It definitely would have been a nice accomplishment,” said Bogaerts of failing to reach 200 hits. “But I’m obviously extremely happy where my season has been and obviously happy with how we played down the stretch in the second half, so there’s a lot of excitement going into next year, for sure.”
That excitement starts with Bogaerts, who’s a superstar in the making, regardless of his exact hit total.
Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images
