Boston Red Sox: Why Xander Bogaerts should be team’s next captain
We finally made it, Boston Red Sox fans. After yet another bizarre offseason, the team kicks off their 2021 campaign this week.
While the return of manager Alex Cora gives Red Sox fans reason for excitement, the team that Cora is inheriting looks vastly different than the one that he managed to a World Series title just 29 months ago. (Does it not feel like it was way longer ago than that?)
Mookie Betts is gone. So are his former mates in the outfield, Andrew Benintendi and Jackie Bradley Jr. Gone as well are infielders Mitch Moreland, Steve Pearce, Ian Kinsler, Brock Holt, and Eduardo Nuñez.
As for the rotation, Rick Porcello and David Price have left town, and Chris Sale will begin the season on the injured list. Those three combined to start 90 of the Red Sox 162 regular season games in 2018, as well as 11 of their 14 postseason games.
More from Chowder and Champions
- 3 Midseason Chaim Bloom Decisions That Have Killed the 2023 Red Sox
- 10 Patriots Who Will Be Cut by Tuesday’s Roster Deadline
- MLB Screws Red Sox Fans With Broadcast for Mookie Betts Return
- 3 Most Underpaid Celtics Heading Into the 2023 Season
- Red Sox Continue Rollercoaster Season With Massive Win
Despite all of the losses, however, one key piece from the 2018 World Series team remains. He is a two-time All-Star, and his name is Xander Bogaerts.
Xander Bogaerts is the heart and soul of the Boston Red Sox
Bogaerts isn’t just one of the few key players left from 2018. He is actually the only remaining member of the 2013 Boston Red Sox, who defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in six games to win the franchise’s eighth World Series title.
Since he was called up to the big leagues during that magical 2013 season,, Bogaerts has essentially seen it all. Over eight years, he has helped the team to two World Series titles and four American League East titles. However, he has also had to go through three last place seasons, three managerial changes, and three different general managers.
Bogaerts has seen the retirement of franchise icons David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia. He has also watched as fellow stars such as Betts, Price, and Benintendi were either traded or left Boston in free agency. And he has even lead the team through the craziness of 2020, which included a sign-stealing scandal, the departure and return of Cora, and a 60-game season played during a global pandemic.
Through all of the ups-and-downs that the Boston Red Sox have been through over the past decade, Xander Bogaerts has been one of the few constants. Regardless of who the manager or the GM are, or what the team’s record is, Bogaerts shows up every day and does his job. He’s never been Boston’s most appreciated player, but for nearly a decade now, he’s been one of their best and most consistent.
It is obvious from his demeanor that Bogaerts loves Boston. He clearly loves playing for the Red Sox, enough so that he signed a long-term contract extension with the team in 2019. He leads by example for his younger teammates. He is also fluent in four different languages, allowing him to communicate easily with teammates of different nationalities.
And it is for those reasons, among others, that Xander Bogaerts should be named the next captain of the Boston Red Sox.
Now, the Red Sox haven’t officially named a team captain since Jason Varitek retired following the 2011 season.
Furthermore, the team has had just four captains since 1924: Varitek, Jim Rice, Carl Yazstremski, and Jimmie Foxx.
Next. Boston Red Sox: 3 players you must drop everything to watch in 2021. dark
But it’s time for the Red Sox to stop being so hesitant to name a team captain. After a turbulent decade for the franchise—as well as a turbulent year for the entire world—the Sox need strong leadership and stability now more than ever.
And no one embodies leadership and stability better than Xander Bogaerts.
It’s time, Red Sox. Give the man the “C” on his jersey that he deserves.