Red Sox Baseball Begins Thursday! Can You Feel The Buzz?

By: Steve Atkinson

Red Sox opening day is Thursday! Can you feel the excitement of baseball season and the swing of the bat? No, that’s because baseball is the least engaged sport probably in the Country. The Red Sox have been irrelevant for two years between the 2019 setback, and the terrible 2020 season. I didn’t even watch the Red Sox last year. Not sure many people did. As of right now, the Red Sox are last in popularity when it comes to Boston Sports. The question is can that all change this year and become relevant again? They have a chance and it starts with Alex Cora.

Red Sox Manager Alex Cora Is The Best Person To Manage This Team

Cora brings the energy and good vibes this team needs to be relevant. The whole outfield is different now since they won the World Series in 2018. The only way to bring the fanbase back is to win games and have a good manager. The Sox as a team could be better than most people expect this year. They made some additions to improve their team in the bullpen and hitting. There are two players to watch for in 2021 Kike` Hernandez and Alex Verdugo. Kike` Hernandez has spent the last six seasons with the Dodgers and had a batting average of .333, with 11 runs, nine walks, and two home runs this spring. He is the expected leadoff hitter for the Sox this season. Cora, spoke highly of him in a recent press conference saying

“We challenge him to get on base and he’s done that the whole spring,” Cora told reporters in a video conference, per the team. “He’s done a good job staying off pitches, working the count, getting his walks, going the other way. What else can we ask him?

He’s a good player all-around. You put him in left (field), he makes plays. You put him in center, he does that. I’m very happy he’s been able to accomplish that, but as he knows, it’s spring training. Everything starts on Thursday and hopefully, we have a pretty good idea, we believe that he can do the job. We believe that he can get on base. That’s what we ask him for and so far so good.”

Get Ready For Alex Verdugo To Shine In 2021

Second is Alex Verdugo who had a great season at the end of last year. Verdugo isn’t into the analytics of the game. All he cares about is getting on base. Verdugo spoke recently about how he feels going into the 2021 season. Red Sox fans will be happy with what he said.

But physically, I’m in a lot better position than I was last year. Right now, it’s just getting some at-bats and I’ve been having better at-bats, working the count deep. Maybe on 3-2, some pitches have gotten me. But I’m feeling really good at where I’m at. We have eight more days or something until we’re in Boston.”

The Pitching For The Red Sox Should Be Better

On the pitching side, the Red Sox will open the season with Nathan Eovaldi on Thursday. New Sox pitcher Garrett Richards is looking forward to the beginning of the season. Richards has been working a lot this spring with former Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek. He has been a role model for Richards and someone Richards can go to as a resource. Richards spoke recently about Varitek’s impact on him.

He is tremendous,” Richards said of Varitek. “Obviously he played in the league for a long time and has a lot of knowledge, so I’ve just been kind of picking his brain seeing on what he’s sees that I’m doing and things that I can get better at. He’s been a great resource. I’ve really enjoyed so far talking pitching with him, and you know, getting the catcher’s perspective at the same time, so I’ll continue to lean on him. He’s a great resource.”

Alex Cora knows that this year is a redemption year for him and the team. Between him coming back after serving his suspension last year, and the Sox having an awful year in 2020, It’s time to get back on track. Cora relates to the players more than probably anybody that would manage the team. Cora knows the system and can draw people in to watch. I will watch more than I did last year for sure. It should be an interesting year for this team and I hope they are still in it in September, pushing for a playoff spot.