Alex Verdugo was a big part of a successful 2021 season for the Boston Red Sox, but the outfielder isn't satisfied with doing the same thing over again in 2022.
Verdugo recently spoke to Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe about his goals for the upcoming season. Among them, Verdugo wants to hit better against left-handed pitchers. And he seems to be on track to do so, as he has identified what he struggled with against southpaws.
"It was just mental," Verdugo told McWilliams. "Honestly, I knew what (lefties) were going to do. And instead of seeing the pitch and maybe taking it or staying inside of it, I just kept opening up and just hitting ground balls to first or second. Like yeah, I would hit them hard, you know, say it's 105 miles per hour, but if it's right to the ground and right to the guy, it means nothing."
Verdugo slashed .289/.351/.486 and blasted 13 home runs during the regular season, but a closer look at his batting splits reveal the reality. An incredible .321 batting average against right-handed pitchers wasn't enough to keep his season average above .300 when coupled with a .228 average against left-handed pitchers.
He hasn't had the strongest spring, hitting .167 through exhibition games, via McWilliams. But at least he has perspective.
