Xander Bogaerts is oh so close to the top of his field.
MLB Network on Tuesday ranked the Boston Red Sox star No. 3 on its list of the top-10 shortstops right now. Boegaerts only trails the Colorado Rockies’ Trevor Story and the San Diego Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. on the list the MLB Network research team compiled based on “past player performance, a number of offensive and defensive metrics, both advanced data and traditional numbers.”
“Amid all the stars at the position, Bogaerts is just quietly excellent,” MLB Network host Brian Kenney said. “Typical rake stats: hitting .300; .364 on-base (percentage); slugging over .500. He also played 56 of the 60 games in a lost Red Sox season. The defensive metrics do not like him. Maybe it’s accurate, maybe not quite. But otherwise he’d be a WAR leader as well.
“Over the last two years here’s where he ranks at the position: second-most home runs; best on-base; second-best hitter overall. And even with defensive metrics, he’s third overall.”
Most MLB observers exect Bogaerts, 27, to continue playing like an All-Star for years to come.
If the Red Sox reverse their recent fortunes, chances are his contributions will be among the key factors.
