* Text Features

The Boston Red Sox Friday, March 12, 2021 * The Boston Globe Eduardo Rodríguez makes his case to be Red Sox Opening Day starter Julian McWilliams Eduardo Rodríguez’s maturation first became apparent in 2019 when he registered a 3.81 ERA in 203⅓ innings, striking out 213. With injuries to David Price and Chris Sale, the Sox turned to Rodríguez to lead the rotation. It forced him to move out of the shadows. Two years have passed and Rodríguez, in a sense, isn’t as deferential as he was in the past. Sale is recovering from Tommy John surgery, and Price is with the Dodgers. In order for the Red Sox to succeed, Rodríguez understands he needs to see himself as the go-to guy. “I mean, that’s going to be a really big honor [to be the Opening Day starter],” Rodríguez after his start against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday in Fort Myers, Fla. “You see how many guys were Opening Day legends. To have the opportunity to be the Opening Day starter for the Red Sox is something that I would really appreciate.” Manager Alex Cora hasn’t announced if Rodríguez will the start in the opener against the Orioles on April 1. But after Rodríguez’s showing on Thursday, it’s tough seeing another Sox starter as a better choice. He went four innings, striking out six, and allowed just a run on four hits, one of which was a homer by Alex Kirilloff in the second inning. “As you guys know, I’ve been very hard on him, as far as attacking, since 2018,” Cora said. “He’s buying into that concept. That’s the difference between Eddie early on to the one we have now.” The Eddie the Red Sox have now, is one who knows what he wants to do, what he needs to work on. Missing last season, while not ideal, forced Rodriguez to attack the mental aspect of the game, studying it from afar. He would imagine himself on the mound, how he would attack certain lineups and hitters. Thursday was a reminder of that mental leap, one that solidifies him not just as the Sox’ ace but a veteran, too. He topped out at just 93 miles per hour, but lighting up the radar gun in a spring game wasn’t something the lefthander tried to do. “I’m just working on location,” Rodríguez said. “I know that velocity is going to get back by the time we get to the season. I was just working on throwing a pitch right where I wanted. I feel like my confidence is getting better on all my pitches. Like you saw it today. My channel was working perfectly. My fastball command was good.” Rodríguez also utilized his curveball and slider Thursday with the purpose of bouncing them in the dirt, as well as attempting to locate them on the edges of the plate. “The way that I [attack hitters],” Rodríguez explained, “is where I think I’m maturing in the big leagues.” Hot start Marwin González hit just .211 in 199 plate appearances with the Twins last season. Yet he has been impressive this spring with the Red Sox. After his two-homer game against his former team on Thursday, González is hitting 6 for 15 (.400) with seven RBIs. “He’s a good at-bat from both sides of the plate,” Cora said. “He’s been very consistent throughout his career. And we will play him against lefties and righties whenever we have a chance and whenever we find a matchup that we like, or to protect other guys.” The Red Sox plan on using González in the infield or left field (though the infield seems more realistic). González role will be more defined as camp progresses, but teammate Kiké Hernández has no problem offering a prediction. “Marwin is a great player,” Hernández said. “Everybody knows that. I will guarantee you that he’s going to do better this year than he did last year.” Work to be done Franchy Cordero, Xander Bogaerts, and Danny Santana took part in a simulated game, facing Marcus Walden and Garrett Whitlock. Cordero will need more reps before getting into a game, but Bogaerts and Santana will make their Grapefruit League debut Friday against the Rays as the DH. Bogaerts will start and get two at-bats, and Santana will follow …. Righthander Hirokazu Sawamura will also make his spring debut Friday in what Cora said will be one inning … Red Sox pitchers have flashed some velocity this spring, with Tanner Houck topping out at 98 miles per hour on Wednesday. Cora used 2019 as an example. Sox starters came into camp a bit worn down from the 2018 World Series run, and it showed in their velocity early on. “You had the names and their stuff was OK coming from ’18,” Cora said. “But as far as velocity and stuff, this is a pretty special group.” Kiké Hernández wants to be the Red Sox’ leadoff hitter, but is he selective enough? Alex Speier In many respects, Kiké Hernández resides in the middle of Red Sox hopes of improvement. Of the dozens of players acquired by the team since the end of the 2019 season, Hernández — who signed a two-year, $14 million deal this winter — is the only one to receive a multiyear contract. Manager Alex Cora has installed him regularly in the leadoff spot through the first half of spring training and speaks glowingly of the role he can play solidifying the team’s defense, whether as a second baseman or an outfielder capable of handling any of the three spots. A great deal is going to be put on Hernández’s shoulders. Yet that enthusiasm comes with a pair of obvious questions: Why, given his skills, was he relegated to part-time (and often platoon) status with the Dodgers? And is there upside beyond the job he held in Los Angeles as a valued contributor with a limited profile? Over seven big league seasons spanning a little more than 2,000 plate appearances, Hernández has a solid if unspectacular line — .240 average, .313 OBP, and .425 slugging, with particularly strong numbers against lefties (.263/.345/.474). He’s never had as many as 500 plate appearances in a season, and he’s been prone to streaky performances. Yet he does feature a combination of strength, athleticism, and baseball intelligence to allow evaluators to imagine greater contributions. “Pound for pound, he might have the most pop on the team. He’s got incredible power,” said Tigers bench coach George Lombard, who worked with Hernández as the Dodgers’ first base coach. “If [Red Sox hitting coach Tim Hyers] just helps him unlock a couple consistency issues he has with his swing, this guy has the potential to stay in there every day and be an impact player.” Certainly, Cora thinks Hernández has the potential to do that. The manager has spoken often about his eagerness to “challenge” the 29-year-old — both to be a leader even as he acclimates to a new club and to be the leadoff hitter. This spring, Hernández has tried to demonstrate his readiness for that job, going 6 for 13 with a homer, three doubles, five walks, and two strikeouts in 18 plate appearances. “I want to hit leadoff,” Hernández said on Thursday after going 1 for 3 and, for the first time this spring, playing center field against the Twins. “I feel like when I hit in the first inning I’m a little more involved in the game, and it also gives me a chance to see the starting pitcher maybe one more time, maybe a third time. I’m just trying to put good ABs together, either try to barrel some balls up or get on base however way I can. I know the guys hitting behind me are really, really good, so my job as a leadoff hitter is to try to get on base and score some runs. Hopefully I can do that and hopefully score 100 runs this year.” RELATED: Eduardo Rodríguez makes his case to be Red Sox Opening Day starter In order to emerge as a viable option for that spot, Hernández must make his case to stay in the lineup against righthanded pitching. The Sox believe that he did that — albeit in limited opportunities — with the Dodgers. While Los Angeles put him in the lineup in just 44 percent of starts against righties over the last three years, Hernández actually has similar numbers over those seasons against righties (.235/.304/.438) and lefties (.256/.327/.433). Add the fact that his tendency to pull fly balls could turn a number of outs into extra-base hits and homers at Fenway, and the Sox imagine a player who can hold his own against righties and lefties. Still, the team hopes to see Hernández tighten his offensive approach. Like all hitters, he sees pronounced disparities in his performance when he swings at pitches in the strike zone (.287 average, .522 slugging since 2018) compared with when he chases offerings outside of it (.117, .181). That fact makes it more problematic that Hernández has failed to force pitchers to work in the strike zone when ahead in counts. Typically, batters produce huge offensive numbers when ahead in the count. Over the last three seasons, big leaguers have averaged OPS’s of .986 (2020), 1.017 (2019), and .977 (2018) when ahead in the count. During that time, however, Hernández has posted just an .823 OPS in those situations — sixth worst in the majors among 195 players with at least 300 plate appearances with a count advantage.

Load more