The Emergence of Alex Verdugo
Alex Verdugo came to Boston with huge expectations as the centerpiece of the deal that sent Mookie Betts to the the Los Angeles Dodgers. Initially, he showed signs of living up to those expectations. He had a strong start to his Red Sox career in 2020, hitting .308 with six home runs, an .844 OPS, and finishing 12th in the AL MVP race. He would take a step backwards in 2021 as his OPS would reduce down to .777.
However, he would be even worse in 2022. He would be barely a league average hitter, hitting for a .732 OPS, a strikeout rate (13.4) that was twice his walk rate (6.5), and a 102 OPS+. On top of all of that, he saw his defense and overall athleticism decline his well. He stole only one base the entire season, after stealing four in 53 games during the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season and post a -5.4 UZR and a -17.3 UZR/150 rating in right field.
After his disappointing loss in 2022, he was challenged by Alex Cora to step it up in 2023 saying, “Yeah, he hit for average, but he can be a lot better baserunning wise and defensively. He’s getting to that area in his career, where [you ask] who is he going to be.” Verdugo took Cora’s comments personally saying, “It was just that final straw, man. I was just tired of people always having something to say about me and it’s like, you know what, (expletive) it. Let’s handle what I can handle. Let’s control what I can control and put in the work.”
In response to Cora’s comments, Verdugo lost weight during the offseason to become more athletic and came into 2023 determined to prove that he still was the elite player the Red Sox saw in him in 2020. So far this season, he has answered the bell, getting off to a sizzling start at the plate, hitting .316 with five home runs and a .908 OPS. He has lowered his strikeout rate to a career low 12.1 and increased his walk rate to 8.7. He already has stolen two more bases than he did all of last season and saw his defense improve as well with a 1.7 UZR rating and a 8.1 UZR/150 rating.