Xander Bogaerts has put together a very solid campaign thus far in 2019.
The 26-year-old was hitting .301 with 14 home runs and 48 RBI for the Boston Red Sox entering Tuesday, but those numbers have not warranted recognition from fans MLB All-Star Game voting.
Bogaerts currently sits just outside of the top five. That’s puzzling to Alex Cora, who noted that he’s “disappointed” to see Bogaerts not getting more attention.
“He brings a calm presence to our lineup, defensively too and in the clubhouse,” Cora said on MLB Network Radio. “We made a big commitment with Xander right after opening day this year and he understands what that means. He’s been amazing for us.
“I can’t get involved in the voting, but I saw it yesterday and I’m a little bit disappointed. This kid is one of the best shortstops in the league and if you look at his numbers, what he’s doing, it’s amazing.”
After hitting mostly for average in seasons past, Bogaerts has dialed up his power stroke, hitting clutch home runs and garnering praise from Cora for his plate approach.
Bogaerts currently leads American League shortstops in doubles, walks, home runs and RBI’s and is second in OPS (.931). Minnesota Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco leads the most-recent All-Star poll. Bogaerts, who sits sixth, is over 400,000 votes behind.
