AL East 2017 Positional Rankings: Injuries Catch Up to Several Shortstops
By Nate Wardle
2. Boston Red Sox – Xander Bogaerts
Xander Bogaerts handled the vast majority of the starts at short stop for the Boston Red Sox, but I think most would agree that the follow up to his 2016 All-Star season was disappointing.
Bogaerts hit .273/.343/.403 with 10 home runs, 32 doubles, 94 runs scored and 62 runs batted in for the Red Sox. He also added 15 stolen bases, a career high.
Bogaerts wrapped up the 2017 campaign with a 3.4 offensive WAR and a -0.3 defensive WAR.
His defense was a bit of a reason for concern. Bogaerts had 17 errors in 2017, the highest of his career. His fielding percentage was also the lowest, his range numbers were not good (3.66 compared to 4.04) and his defensive runs saved were well below league average.
For a player who has frequented league leaderboards early in his career, he didn’t make those lists very much in 2017. However, he did have six triples, third most in the American League.
Bogaerts is the future for the Red Sox at short stop, and they will hope he rebounds to form in 2018.