On a positive note

[cp176]

Xander Bogaerts fielding has shown that his off-season work has really paid off. We all want and expect him to hit but to see his progress in the field has been tremendous. A shortstop fielding the way he has been and hitting .260 is more than adequate. I see him getting better and better.

[Spudboy]

I was critical of his defense last year. I was skeptical about all the work he did in Arizona to better his footwork.

 

But it is clear if you watch the games that he has made strides.

 

I have not seen an abundance of bad throws this year.

 

People often lose sight of how young he still is. He is getting better.

[a700hitter]

XB has been very solid in the field this year. His footwork going to his left is much improved. I am no longer concerned about him handling the position. He could still improve on charging slow hit balls, but other than that, I have not seen many flaws -- regardless of what the metrics say. LOL!!

[Spudboy]

XB has been very solid in the field this year. His footwork going to his left is much improved. I am no longer concerned about him handling the position. He could still improve on charging slow hit balls, but other than that, I have not seen many flaws -- regardless of what the metrics say. LOL!!

 

I endorse everything said in this post.

[a700hitter]

It's been an ugly and frustrating beginning of the season. The pitchers have looked like garbage at times and the hitters have been in a recent coma and so has the coaching staff and the onfield managing, but whether you are an optimist who thinks they are performing below expectations or a cynic who thinks it has been a s*** show, this team is pretty close to being where we hoped they would be -- around .500 and sticking with the rest of the pack. The question is whether they have what it takes to keep hanging in.

[Bellhorn04]

The offense is due to start scoring a lot of runs. But you can't count 'em till they're on the board. Tonight we face another lefty and they have held us to a .199 average, which is ridiculous for a team that's predominantly righty.

[Jasonbay44]

XB has been very solid in the field this year. His footwork going to his left is much improved. I am no longer concerned about him handling the position. He could still improve on charging slow hit balls, but other than that, I have not seen many flaws -- regardless of what the metrics say. LOL!!

What do the metrics say? I'm just wondering what these advanced stats think of his fielding this year, because every time I watch Xander, he seems to be doing very well.

[sk7326]

What do the metrics say? I'm just wondering what these advanced stats think of his fielding this year, because every time I watch Xander, he seems to be doing very well.

 

Basically neutral - which is an improvement on last year

[GomesBeard]

I'm glad they showed some patience with him, and glad he worked on the things he needed to. Now if they could only get JBJr to do the same.

[a700hitter]

I'm glad they showed some patience with him, and glad he worked on the things he needed to. Now if they could only get JBJr to do the same.

The difference between JBJ and XB is that XB underperformed expectations but was not atrocious. His fielding needed more work than anything, and he has done the work and the improvement is noticeable. His offense was disappointing, but not bad for a SS, nevermind a 21 year old SS. Bradley, on the other hand, was atrocious offensively. I read an article a while back (some would call it a study) about players who had a full season as bad as JBJ's. There are very very few instances where those players went on to become proficient hitters. The odds are against Bradley. Also, Bradley is 3 years older than XB, so he is on a shorter leash.

[Behindenemylines]

On the positive, as bad as they have been they are only 4 1/2 games out.