Red Sox Spring Training Notes: Bobby Dalbec, Jeter Downs flexing future power
Well, Boston Red Sox power-hitting first baseman Bobby Dalbec started offspring training in the same fashion he ended the 2020 MLB season…launching home runs.
If the Red Sox are going to turn some heads this season, it will be due to some of their younger players living up to or even exceeding expectations.
Coming off a debut season in which he hammered eight homers and 16 RBI in just 23 games played, the 25-year-old prospect showed right away that his explosion onto the Major League scene was no fluke.
With two outs in the second inning, Dalbec stepped to the plate and launched this 408-foot dinger on the first pitch he saw:
Red Sox baseball is back and Dalbec's hittin' dingers!
— NESN (@NESN) February 28, 2021
First hit, run and home run for the Red Sox this spring training. pic.twitter.com/JBCCGNhES3
At 6-foot-4, 227 pounds, the MLB No. 93 prospect is looking to establish his presence in the middle of the Red Sox batting order, and he started off the Grapefruit league with a statement that Red Sox Nation hopes continues.
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Boston Red Sox prospect Jeter Downs shows off his power
The Boston Red Sox loss the spring training opener 7-6 to the Minnesota Twins, but it felt like a victory giving the highlights of the team’s top young prospects.
Along with Bobby Dalbec flexing his power at the plate, Red Sox shortstop Jeter Downs launched a two-run homer in his first at-bat after taking over for KiKe Hernandez and then followed that up with an RBI since in the sixth inning.
As MLB’s No. 49 prospect, the promising infielder (acquired in the blockbuster deal for Mookie Betts) may just create a very intriguing battery mate with Xander Bogaerts sooner rather than later if the team switches him to second base.
He certainly has caught the eye of Red Sox manager Alex Cora.
"“He’s a good player,” Cora said following the game, via MLB.com. “Everybody knows him. We like him a lot. Slow heartbeat, it seems like. Even during the drills, he puts good swings on the ball. Going opposite field for the homer, and he sat on a breaking ball [for the hit] up the middle. He’s part of the future.”"
Unless Downs proves he’s part of the now during the rest of spring training, he will behind the season at Double-A Portland, but like Rafael Devers during his quick journey through the minors, Downs could see some big-league action by the time 2021 is over.
Next. Boston Red Sox: 5 players who will spark excitement in 2021. dark
In all, a very encouraging start to spring training for two of the team’s players we named to spark some excitement in the 2021 MLB season. Bobby Dalbec and Jeter Downs certainly did that. Not only did they give Cora something to smile about, they have Boston Red Sox fans pumped up about the future of this infield.