Red Sox rock Rays: Ranking the 3 players who shined vs Tampa Bay

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Boston Red Sox Xander Bogaerts. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 2: Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts in the center of the offense

Part of being a team leader is being in the middle of things when the team needs a victory.

Xander Bogaerts was every much that on Monday night.

Motivated to have his own monster season, the Boston Red Sox leader was as hot at the plate as J.D. Martinez.

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With a 4-for-5 performance, an RBI and run scored, Boogey was in the middle of things when the game was still in doubt, which is why he is ranked ahead of Martinez. But another reason is the leader he is off the field.

In producing on the field, Bogaerts is every much the leader the team needs because of his positivity and belief in his teammates as demonstrated in the prior slide relating to J.D. Martinez.

Here’s what the 28-year-old said prior to Monday night’s game regarding a winless start to the 2021 MLB season.

"“You know, there’s 159 games left before today, and you’ve just got to take it one day at a time,” Bogaerts said, via MLB.com. “Sometimes it’s the same as hitting. You want five hits in one at-bat. It’s not going to happen. You might get five hits one day, but not five hits in one at-bat, you know, and sometimes you want to make up for those losses that we got all at once.”"

Well, Xander Bogaerts didn’t get five hits, but he did get four in helping the Boston Red Sox get a desperately needed victory.

It was just one game, but a step closer to getting back those three losses against the Orioles. If the offense continues to produce like Monday night, it will translate to more victories combined with pitching performances like the one from the No. 1 player who shined against the Rays.

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