Alex Cora Thinks Red Sox’s Xander Bogaerts Is ‘Underrated’ Shortstop

Does Xander Bogaerts get enough love as a Major League Baseball shortstop?

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora does not think so.

“He’s underrated,” Cora told reporters Saturday during a video press conference. “In the eyes outside our world, yeah, he is.”

Perhaps it’s the fact Bogaerts currently leads the Red Sox and all MLB shortstops in batting average (.372) and hits (29). He has the best on-base percentage (.410), slugging percentage (.577) and OPS (.987) among MLB shortstops, as well.

It could be his defensive skill set, too. Despite three errors in Boston’s first 22 games, Bogaerts leads the team with 53 assists and 12 double-plays. He is among the top three MLB shortstops in assists and putouts (27), too.

So, it isn’t hard to see why Cora feels so strongly about this topic.

“He’s not as flashy as the other guys,” Cora said. “You’ve got Javier (Báez). You’ve got Francisco (Lindor) and Carlos (Correa). They’re flashy and they’ve got their shoes and they dye their hair and all that. But then you’ve got (Corey) Seager and (Trevor) Story. They’re kind of very similar to Xander with the way they play the game.”

There’s something special about Bogaerts. But you probably figured that out already.