MLB Writer Stresses Need For This Red Sox Player To Improve
Boston's offense was inconsistent in the first half
The Red Sox will rely on their superstars to spearhead Boston’s second-half push, but that contingent of players can’t do it alone.
Alex Cora’s team also will need some of its unsung heroes to step up over the course of the next two-plus months if the Red Sox want to secure a postseason berth. One of those players is Alex Verdugo, who ESPN believes is the Boston bat that most needs to improve upon the club returning from the Major League Baseball All-Star break.
“Boston desperately needs consistent production from its outfield — and the avatar for the offensive shortfall in that area is Alex Verdugo,” Bradford Doolittle wrote in a column published Thursday .”He hasn’t hit for power, and he hasn’t hit at Fenway. In a lineup that has been half potent/half sinkhole, Verdugo is the leading candidate to join the good group.”
It currently doesn’t look like the Red Sox are going to add a true impact bat by the trade deadline like it did last year in the form of Kyle Schwarber. That further puts the onus on Verdugo, who has shown flashes of pop and timely hitting dating back to April but hasn’t done it consistently. To put it bluntly, Boston needs more from someone who almost always slots fifth in the batting order.
Verdugo will try to start off the second half on the right foot Friday when the Red Sox kick off a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays. NESN’s full coverage of the opener at Fenway Park begins at 5:30 p.m. ET.
