The San Diego Padres roster has a heavy Boston Red Sox influence on it. Xander Bogaerts anchors the defense at shortstop, while Don Orsillo handles commentary duties.
On top of that, Jose Iglesias has been a utility man for San Diego, playing second, third and shortstop. Iglesias debuted with the Red Sox in 2011 and has bounced around the league since then.
Ten years after his debut, Iglesias rejoined the Red Sox in September 2021. In 23 games, he accumulated 0.4 bWAR, hitting .356 in 59 at-bats. He was a driving factor behind the Red Sox playoff push that season.
Unfortunately for that iteration of the Red Sox, Iglesias was acquired on September 6. Players acquired after August 31 are not eligible for the playoffs, meaning Iglesias’s on-field contributions stopped at the end of the regular season.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora spoke about his former player during the series against the Padres.
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“We don’t make it to the playoffs without Jose Iglesias,” Cora said. “I still believe that if we would’ve picked him up three days before, you never know.”
Three days wouldn’t have been early enough to make Iglesias eligible for the postseason, but Cora’s point remains. The Red Sox made it to the American League Championship Series that season and lost to the Houston Astros.
Iglesias primarily played second base for Boston in 2021. His spot was taken by Christian Arroyo, who hit .237 in 11 postseason games. Arroyo hit .211 against the Astros in the ALCS.
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Featured image via © Chadd Cady-Imagn Images
