The Boston Red Sox have seen a number of players contribute in 2022 who struggled in 2021. Chief among them, Franchy Cordero.
Cordero's found a regular spot in the lineup this season, splitting time between outfield and first base. The 27-year-old has already matched his 48-game total from 2021 entering the Red Sox's upcoming series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
In the same number of games, Cordero's 2022 batting average has improved by 63 points, his OPS has jumped a whopping 247 points and his RBI total has improved by 11. In fact, Cordero has better numbers across the board this season, but they still don't illustrate how good he's been. Leave that to the advanced analytics.
In a graph shared by Red Sox Stats on Twitter, Cordero's expected numbers rank among some of the best players Major League Baseball has to offer.
Cordero's expected batting average of 87 is higher than Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels (80), while his hard hit rate of 94% is higher than Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins (86%) and his expected OBP of 87 is higher than Austin Riley of the Atlanta Braves (68). Trout, Buxton and Riley are all top vote-getters for the 2022 MLB All-Star Game.
While the recognition for Cordero's play will only grow if he continues to produce as he has over the last few months, Red Sox manager Alex Cora made sure to shoutout the surging utility man after his four-hit game in Wednesday's series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays.
"There's some intent behind his swings," Cora said. "... It seems like the strike zone was controlling him. He was too passive, and he's been working hard to be very aggressive. He's hitting the ball hard, running the bases great, playing great defense.
"We're very happy for him, you know, he didn't stop working in the offseason. We sent him down, he didn't make the club (at the beginning of the season.) For him to keep playing down there and building confidence, when he had his chance he's running away with it. It's fun to watch."
