Top 10 MLB players benefiting from coronavirus layoff, ranked
By Manny Gómez
Top 10 MLB players benefiting from hiatus
Alex Verdugo (Career: 2.1 fWAR | 3.2 bWAR)
In a normal world, Alex Verdugo would be carrying the weight of the world this offseason. What with being the return the Boston Red Sox got for giving away David Price and Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In the current state of baseball, he gets to walk around chumming it up with legends like David Ortiz (pictured above). Now, that’s not to say that Verdugo doesn’t carry any pressure entering the 2020 MLB season — if there ever is one.
Given that the Red Sox aren’t completely tearing the team down, there must be a tinge of hope that they can compete this season. If Verdugo doesn’t factor into that equation in a big way, he’ll be to the Red Sox what someone like Jacoby Ellsbury is to the Yankees: a figure of disdain.
If that happens, Verdugo could kiss his promising career goodbye.
The good news for “Dugie,” as the Dodgers affectionately called him, is that he’ll be turning just 24-years-old by the time the season – hopefully – kicks off. What’s more, given how 2019 played out for the young outfielder, he looks to continue to be on the rise while also being years away from his prime.
Though he was slated to possibly miss Opening Day before the coronavirus forced us all to lock ourselves indoors, which would have started Verdugo off on a bad foot, now he’s on track to take the field whenever baseball finally opens its doors.