Do you remember when
you were 22? Most of us who can recall that far back probably do not have fond memories of being a fully accomplished person. And yet, many of us expect the now 22-year old
Xander Bogeaerts to be a flawless baseball player. Let's look at the kid's performance so far. First of all, he has a
World Series ring. Not bad. Second, in a grand total of 162 games (that's the equivalent on one full season for those of you who are cipher-impaired), he's hitting .241 with 13 HRs and 51 RBIs. Now while one single season of those numbers would not win him
Rookie Of The Year honors, it's not
horrible either. And don't forget his 2013
post-season—when the poised 21-year old hit .296 with an .893 OPS while playing a steady third base. Granted, he had a bad stretch this year that
may have been due to fatigue. Going forward, that cannot be an excuse—he needs to get his body ready for the full grind of a season. Having said that, it
is true that when he returned from the concussion DL, he looked refreshed and re-loaded. He seemed locked-in at the plate for the balance of the year—albiet still a little shaky on defense. The bottom line is that Bogaerts has the kind of elite potential that makes him a keeper. With a little patience, he should be a perennial All-Star for
The Carmine Hose. Happy, birthday, Xander!
