Red Sox’s Xander Bogaerts Shares What He Learned From David Ortiz

David Ortiz clearly was more than just a teammate while he was a member of the Boston Red Sox, and that was confirmed Monday by Xander Bogaerts.

The shortstop will represent Boston in Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game on Tuesday night after having an incredibly successful first half of 2021.

FOX Sports’ Frank Thomas told Bogaerts that he’s the “most underrated superstar in baseball,” and wanted to know what it would take for the three-time All-Star to be on the cereal boxes.

Bogaerts response had much to do with Ortiz, who was sitting alongside Thomas when Bogaerts answered.

“I think they might just have to take a harder look at the numbers. I just feel like they speak for themselves. Just being able to stay healthy, I think that’s the way you can put up those numbers,” he told Thomas on FOX Sports. “And I’m definitely a guy that works very hard, studies the game a lot and think with my brain a lot. I remember that a lot from David being around him. His last couple years in Boston was amazing because it’s like he didn’t need to watch much film because he kinda just knows what the guys were gonna do with him. I feel like I’m at that point a little bit just having an understanding of what the pitchers want to do. And that’s something I learned from him. I don’t know if he knows, but I used to watch him and it was unbelievable just what we know what they wanted to do with him.”

Well, if Ortiz didn’t know, he knows now.

The All-Star Game is set for Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. ET. Xander Bogaerts will bat third in the American League lineup.