Boston Red Sox: 3 regular season goals for Xander Bogaerts in 2019
Hitting for power and average
In 2018, Bogaerts played in the least amount of games in his career (136), discounting his appearances in 2013 in which he played 18 regular season games.
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He also put up some of his finest numbers at the plate.
Bogaerts had career-highs in home runs (23), RBI (103), OBP (.360), OPS (.883) and doubles (45).
He also had a batting average of .288. While the number is respectable, something for Bogaerts to strive for is hitting .300 again. He last hit the mark in 2015, when he finished the season at .320.
Consistency throughout the season will help. The last few seasons, including a down 2017 when he battled injuries, have seen Bogaerts deal with inconsistency. Last May, he hit only .220 in an otherwise strong season.
Getting the average to creep closer to .300 or higher, plus by keeping power numbers along the same line, will only make this Red Sox offense more of a threat. Combining all aspects of his career at the plate, Bogaerts could easily finish with 25 home runs, 100 RBI, and a .300 average.
And that’s exactly what he should strive for (plus 40 doubles to boot).