Bobby Dalbec hasn’t had the best year defensively at first base, but the Boston Red Sox have stuck with him.
Dalbec certainly has potential to break out, and many thought he’d be better than what he has shown this year due to being so reliable at third base during his college days.
Of course, third and first are different positions, so there likely was to be a learning curve, but Dalbec has looked lost at times when trying to make routine plays at the bag, including nine errors on the season.
The Red Sox could have used a first baseman at the trade deadline, but they did acquire Kyle Schwarber, who likely will make his debut at the position Thursday, and also claimed Travis Shaw off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers.
Dalbec had the night off in Boston’s middle game against the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday, and Cora broke down what exactly he’s seen from the infielder this season.
“It’s been a struggle. He’s been inconsistent,” Cora said. “One thing that I always, even from his days in college, he was a good defensive player at third base, and I thought the transition was gonna be a lot better than we have seen. The numbers are there. We’ve been working hard with him. Sometimes the angle, obviously is different, you go from one side (of the diamond) to the other one. He had plenty of repetitions, he’s been in that position for a while. But he keeps working on it, but honestly it’s something that we gotta keep working and try to get him better because he’s been up and down throughout the season.”
The Red Sox are in a crucial part of the season as they cling to the second Wild Card spot. But they will need everyone to be at their best if they not only want to hold on to that spot, but make a lengthy postseason one.
