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Yesterday, we asked the Over The Monster community to give their best guess on what Xander Bogaerts would do with his extended cup of coffee/the beginning of his 20-year reign as the best player to ever step foot in the majors. Whatever you want to call it.
Red Sox fans, as with those of any other team, can tend to get a little carried away when it comes to their prospects. Numbers can get crazy big in the minor leagues, after all, and cautionary tales of busts from years past--not to mention cautionary reports from the scouts of today--are all too easy to ignore in favor of hype, hype, and more hype.
Having said that, the numbers we got from the community were pleasantly reasonable. See for yourself:
Xander Bogaerts
PA: 78
RBI: 16
HR: 4
AVG: .266
OBP: .337
SLG: .434
Of those numbers, the four homers is the one that seems most out there (though it's pulled up by a few over-the-top guesses, since it would put him at a pace of about 31 over the course of a reasonable season. Not hard to imagine for a guy like Xander, but given the other numbers, we're also predicting an adjustment period.
(And seriously, guys, if he hits nine in about 75 PA, his slugging is going to be somewhere north of .600.)
Taken as a whole, though, this should hopefully indicate that there's not a ton of pressure on Xander to perform. Boston can be one tough place to play baseball for anyone, much less a rookie who has been hailed as our second chance at a Hanley Ramirez. Obviously it's possible that the fanbase as a whole--and, God help him, the media--will not be quite as understanding if Bogaerts doesn't go deep in three of his first four at bats.
And if he does go nuts, then those of you who predicted it will be held higher than the non-believers in the new Xander society.
Read more Red Sox:
- Is Henry Owens the best Red Sox' prospect in the minors?
- Red Sox' second-half offense down, but not out
- Revisiting the Peavy trade after Iglesias' miracle
- A healthy Stephen Drew having stellar second half for Red Sox
- Do the Red Sox need an ace to contend?
