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Looking Back On a Former Red Sox Outfielder’s Boston Tenure

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Every year, players join new teams and subsequently face their old organizations. On Friday, that is exactly what is going to happen to current New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo. When the Yankees visit the Boston Red Sox, it will be the first time Verdugo has returned to the Red Sox since leaving. Verdugo spent four seasons with Boston and was traded ahead of the 2024 season. His four years with the Sox were filled with offensive flashes but limited team success. And as one of the more prominent Boston players during that time, it’s fitting to look back on Alex Verdugo’s Red Sox tenure.

Looking Back On Alex Verdugo’s Red Sox Tenure

The Trade And Year One

Verdugo spent the first three years of his MLB tenure with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He saw little playing time until 2019, when he appeared in 106 games and batted .294. After that season, the Dodgers made one of their biggest moves in franchise history. Los Angeles sent Verdugo, MLB Top 50 prospect Jeter Downs, and Connor Wong to Boston for superstar Mookie Betts and veteran pitcher David Price. Verdugo made his Red Sox debut on July 25, 2020.

The Arizona native began with a bang in his first contest, tallying three hits and a run. Verdugo began struggling soon after though, falling to a .231 average by his eighth game. A two-homer matchup in a win over the Toronto Blue Jays helped get things back on track. It was one of eight multi-knock games for Verdugo in August. He entered September on fire, smacking three doubles in the last game of the month. Verdugo’s average never dipped below .300 again. 

Despite a disappointing 24-36 season and a last-place finish, Verdugo impressed in his first year with Boston. He ended the campaign with a .308 average, six homers, and 16 doubles. Verdugo’s batting average put him at 14th in MLB and fifth in the American League. He also posted a 123 OPS+ and slugged .478. Verdugo topped all Red Sox batters in average, doubles, and runs in 2020. It was a productive first year on the East Coast.

Verdugo Helps Boston Make Noise In Postseason

In Verdugo’s second season with Boston, the Red Sox were searching for their first postseason appearance since winning the World Series in 2018. He started slow, going hitless in his first three contests. Verdugo hit his first of the year in his ninth game. The two-hit performance began a hot streak for the outfielder. Verdugo recorded three knocks and a homer three games later. He had two other three-hit performances in April. Verdugo ended the month with a .300 batting average. 

His next three months saw slightly less production. Verdugo batted .275, .257, and .250 in May, June, and July, respectively. His .661 OPS in July was his worst of any month in 2021. But he turned it around to close the year. Verdugo batted .341 in August, including a season-high four hits in a dominant win over the Baltimore Orioles on August 14. He ended the regular season with a .289 average, 32 doubles, and 13 home runs. 

The Red Sox went 92-70 in 2021, finishing second in the AL East. It was Verdugo’s first postseason, and he didn’t disappoint. The outfielder had hits in his first nine games. Verdugo hit his only bomb of the playoffs in a 14-6 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. Boston won the ALDS in four games against the Rays before falling in six to the Houston Astros. Verdugo ended the deep run with a .310 average and .835 OPS in the postseason.

Verdugo’s Final Two Years In Boston

The Red Sox went just 78-84 in 2022, but Verdugo still produced. He ended the year with a .280 average and 102 OPS+. Verdugo smacked 39 doubles, the most of his Red Sox tenure. He played in 152 contests and had nearly 600 at-bats, the highest mark of his Boston career. Verdugo struggled in April and May, ending the two months batting .227. He had a hotter June, recording hits in all but five contests. Verdugo had two knocks in his last four matchups of the month.

He continued similar production through July and then raised his average in August. Verdugo batted .330 and slugged nearly .500 in the month. He tallied nearly one-third of his total doubles in August. September saw a season-best four homers in a month. Verdugo helped Boston win six of its final eight games in 2022.

His fourth and final Boston season saw the same result: a 78-84 record and a fifth-place finish.  And for Verdugo, it was by far his worst season with the club. He started strong, batting over .300 in his first 30 games. May and June saw similar results, and Verdugo entered July with a .301 average. But he had just 11 hits in July and, despite a better August, batted .171 in 20 games in September. Verdugo’s 2023 line included a .264 average, 13 homers, and 54 RBI.

Verdugo exited that season with talk swirling about differences between him and manager Alex Cora. He was traded to the Yankees in return for three pitchers two months after the season ended. Since joining New York, Verdugo recently spoke on the reports covering his relationship with Cora, calling them “overblown.”

Verdugo ended his four-year tenure in Boston with a .281 average, 124 doubles, 43 homers, and 206 RBI in 493 games. He had more than four times the plate appearances with Boston than he did with Los Angeles. The Red Sox went 272-275 during Alex Verdugo’s time with the club.

 

Photo Credit: © Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

The post Looking Back On a Former Red Sox Outfielder’s Boston Tenure appeared first on Last Word On Baseball.