If you ask Boston Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski what he thinks of the team, he will not hold back. His assessment of the team’s current crop of outfielders is about the highest praise the Hall of Famer can give.
Simply put, he calls it one of the best in the game.
“The outfield is probably the best offensive and defensive outfield in the league. Maybe both leagues,” he told reporters Friday, according to WBZ’s Tom Cuddy.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora made similar comments about the outfield, which has retained the same players between seasons, after Game 4 the American League Championship Series in October. Whether it was the controversial fan interference call involving Mookie Betts in Game 4 of the ALCS, Andrew Benintendi’s “do-or-die” catch in Game 4 of the World Series, and Jackie Bradley Jr.’s numerous game-changing hits, nearly every outfielder glimmered in the 2018 postseason spotlight.
The 79-year-old knows what he’s talking about, too, as he recently told The Athletic’s Chad Jennings that he never misses a regular-season game.
“I just enjoy watching the game,” Yastrzemski said, per Jennings. “I don’t try to analyze it or anything of that nature. Just like watching them hitting now, I just like to watch players swing the bat.”
When he’s not watching games on television, Yaz still spends much of his time on the field, especially with the Red Sox. He has spent the last several weeks in Fort Myers, Fla., for spring training, working with players ahead of Opening Day.
Considering Yaz boasts a triple crown, a Most Valuable Player plaque, 18 All-Star appearances, three batting titles and seven Gold Gloves in his Hall of Fame career, we’ll just have to trust his assessment of Boston’s outfield.
