The Boston Red Sox Saturday, March 20, 2021 * The Boston Globe Hunter Renfroe eager to reward Red Sox for their optimism in his game Peter Abraham FORT MYERS, Fla. — Hunter Renfroe received a first-hand education in baseball economics the last few years. The 29-year-old outfielder had a .777 OPS with 85 home runs and 190 runs batted in for the San Diego Padres from 2017-19. But just as his salary was about to jump via arbitration, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays as part of a five-player deal. Renfroe struggled offensively last season, and the Rays released him after the World Series rather than pay his projected salary of roughly $4 million. Knowing the free agent market would be chilly, Renfroe agreed to a one-year, $3.1 million contract with the Red Sox only 18 days after the Rays let him go. Renfroe and agent Bo McKinnis felt the Red Sox represented a good opportunity to get Renfroe’s career back on track and decided to move quickly. “The Red Sox were very interested, one of the first teams to contact us. They felt I was the right person for the job,” Renfroe said. “Alex [Cora] called me and I felt like this was a team that would give me a chance to get my at-bats. He wants to make me a better player. “I want to show I’m more than a platoon player and they’ll give me that chance.” There is plenty of opportunity with the rebuilding Sox, especially in the outfield after the departures of Andrew Benintendi and Jackie Bradley Jr. Renfroe is expected to get most of his playing time in right field, but also some in center. The Red Sox signed Renfroe for his right-handed power, but also his defense. Metrics show him as an above-average defender in right field, something scouts generally concur with. “I feel like I can play right field at Fenway,” Renfroe said. “The angles are tough, and you have the wall along the Pesky Pole and it gets deep in a hurry. There’s a lot of ground to cover and it’s harder than a lot of places. “But I feel like center is even tougher because when you turn, the wall comes at you fast. Or you run back on something over your head and never get there. But I’ve played a good bit of center in my career. I’m comfortable if they put me there.” The Sox see more than a platoon slugger prone to strikeouts. “The defensive part of it is what caught my attention. Very detail oriented. He’s always asking questions. He has his own ideas,” Cora said. “I knew about the power; I knew about the strength and the athlete. But his baseball I.Q, and the way he sees the game has impressed me.” Renfroe showed his power against the Rays on Friday with a two-run homer that struck halfway up the batter’s eye above the center field wall. “Got a pitch in the zone and crushed it,” Cora said. But can he get on base more often? Renfroe’s .156 batting average in 139 plate appearances with the Rays last season was a product of a .141 batting average on balls in play. “It was pretty painful. I had one groundball base hit all season,” Renfroe said. “It was a tough year for me and a lot of guys with the short season.” Renfroe showed the Rays enough to make their playoff roster, and he had nine plate appearances in the World Series. “It was a childhood dream of mine to make it to the World Series and not many people can say they did that,” Renfroe said. “It was a lot of fun.” Since then, he’s learned even more about the business side of the game. “Oh, for sure, 100 percent,” Renfroe said. “But everybody knows that’s part of it. Last year was a tough one for the teams and the players. “But I feel very comfortable here. The guys are great, and the coaching staff has been very good. They’ve outlined what the expectations are every day and treated me great throughout the whole process.” Garrett Whitlock is turning heads and is in control of an opportunity with the Red Sox Peter Abraham FORT MYERS, Fla. — It’s not a question of whether Rule 5 draft pick Garrett Whitlock will make the Opening Day roster — that’s settled, if he’s healthy. It’s how the Red Sox can best use him. The 24-year-old righthander was impressive again in Friday’s 11-7 victory against the Tampa Bay Rays. Whitlock retired nine of the 10 batters he faced, striking out five. Whitlock has pitched in four Grapefruit League games, allowing one run on eight hits with 12 strikeouts and no walks. The control has been particularly noteworthy, considering Whitlock hadn’t pitched in a game since July 3, 2019, when he was a Double A Yankees prospect. Whitlock had Tommy John surgery later that month, didn’t pitch at all last year, and was left unprotected by the Yankees. “He plays the part on the mound. Great body, great mechanics,” Sox manager Alex Cora said. “He’s done an amazing job.” Whitlock, who was a starter with the Yankees, has a three-pitch repertoire led by a two-seam fastball that reaches 97 miles per hour. Whitlock also has made an impression on the Sox with his attention to detail and willingness to learn. After his surgery, the long recovery, and the loss of any opportunity to play last season, he has embraced the opportunity. “Just loving every second out there,” he said. “That’s what I’m focused on right now, loving everything and listening to veterans and soaking everything up.” Whitlock feels his surgery fueled that attitude. “When you have an operation like Tommy John, it’s never a given you’re going to play again,” he said. “I promised to myself that if I was going to get a second chance and I was going to be back on the field, I would never take a day for granted again.” The Sox just may have taken a gem away from their rivals. “From the first bullpen, it caught my eye,” Cora said. “This is great stuff. We have a good one.” Tradition stands The Red Sox have scheduled late-morning starts for their Patriots’ Day home games since 1968 so fans can walk to Kenmore Square afterward and cheer on the competitors in the Boston Marathon. The Marathon has been pushed back to Oct. 11 this year, but the Red Sox decided to adhere to tradition and will play the Chicago White Sox at 11:10 a.m. on April 19. “In a year with zero normalcy, we wanted to maintain the Patriots’ Day game time tradition,” team spokesman Zineb Curran said. “It felt right to everyone here when game times were being discussed.” The Sox have played at Fenway Park on Patriots’ Day since 1959. Five games were postponed because of weather over the years, the last in 2018. The 1995 game wasn’t played because of a players strike, and last year’s game was canceled because of the pandemic. The White Sox are 2-2 at Fenway on Patriots’ Day. Cordero ramping up Franchy Cordero is scheduled to play his first Grapefruit League game Saturday. That would be as the designated hitter before he plays left field Monday … Ryan Brasier, who is coming back from a broken bone in his right hand, threw in the bullpen, but isn’t yet ready for games … Righthanded reliever Kevin McCarthy, who is in camp on a minor league contract, pitched in a simulated game along with Colten Brewer and Josh Taylor … Nate Eovaldi had a rough start, allowing five runs on eight hits over four innings, as the Rays sat on his fastball before he adjusted. He has a 10.61 earned run average in three starts. Friday’s Red Sox spring training report: A big comeback for third straight win Peter Abraham Score: Red Sox 11, Rays 7 Record: 10-6-1 Breakdown: Down, 5-0, after two innings, the Sox roared back to win their third game in a row. Jarren Duran was 4 for 5 with a double and three RBIs. Hunter Renfroe had a two-run homer in the third inning. Michael Chavis and Chris Herrmann also homered. Garrett Whitlock pitched three shutout innings for the win, striking out five. The Sox are 7-1-1 in their last nine games, scoring 69 runs. Next: The Sox play the Braves in North Port at 1:05 p.m. Saturday. Martín Pérez is scheduled to face righthander Bryce Wilson. The game is on MLB Network. Red Sox will keep morning start time for Patriots’ Day game Peter Abraham FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Red Sox have scheduled late-morning starts for their Patriots’ Day home games since 1968 so fans can walk over to Kenmore Square afterward and cheer on the competitors in the Boston Marathon. The marathon has been pushed back to Oct. 11 this year. But the Red Sox decided to adhere to tradition and will play the Chicago White Sox at 11:10 a.m. on April 19. “In a year with zero normalcy we wanted to maintain the Patriots’ Day game time tradition,” team spokesman Zineb Curran said Friday. “It felt right to everyone here when game times were being discussed.” The Sox have played at Fenway Park on Patriots’ Day since 1959.