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With the addition of Alex Bregman, the Boston Red Sox have officially entered their playoff run window. Manager Alex Cora has the pieces needed to build a World Series lineup, but the infield alignment is yet unclear.<\/p>\n
The Sox should experiment to create an infield that balances offense and defense while keeping the clubhouse happy. Rafael Devers\u2019 determination to stay at the hot corner doesn\u2019t make Cora\u2019s job easier, and infield prospect Kristian Campbell adds another layer of complexity. For the Red Sox to succeed, Cora needs to be willing to shift the infield around. Having a go-to lineup for every occasion will make position placements much easier.<\/p>\n
We’ll keep the rest of the lineup consistent with Connor Wong at catcher, Trevor Story at shortstop, and last year\u2019s starting outfield Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu in the seven, eight, and nine spots. Here are the best infield and designated hitter combinations that’ll give the Sox the best results for different needs.<\/p>\n
This combination caters to everyone\u2019s comfort. Casas and Yoshida don\u2019t need to learn anything new, and Devers gets his wish of staying at third base, the only position he has any real experience with. Bregman is the only one who\u2019d change positions, but at least he\u2019d return somewhere familiar to him. Although he\u2019s only played nine games at the top of the infield, he\u2019s never recorded an error there.<\/p>\n
With additional spring training reps, Bregman should be fine \u2014\u00a0and even excel \u2014 at second base. If he can bring the same caliber of defense he has at third base to second, the Sox’s infield will be scary.<\/p>\n
Adding Campbell\u2019s bat and subtracting Yoshida’s bat brings pop to the infield. Campbell posted a .330 batting average and 20 home runs in 115 minor league games last year. Removing Yoshida preserves Casas\u2019 power. Casas has a higher home run ceiling, making him more valuable at the plate than Yoshida. Bregman\u2019s presence dilutes Casas\u2019 consistency issues.<\/p>\n
Putting Devers at first base keeps him conditioned and takes advantage of his powerful lefty swing. He wouldn\u2019t be happy, but at least he would stay out of the dugout for half the game and would likely have better fielding statistics.<\/p>\n
The Red Sox’s best possible defensive infield keeps Devers at DH. Bregman is a top third baseman in the league in fielding, so he must stay there. Teaching Devers how to play first base would likely take some time that the Sox can\u2019t afford, and the most risk-free, time-sensitive solution is to take him off the field entirely.<\/p>\n
Casas and Campbell have no reason to move. Casas can\u2019t play anywhere outside of first base defensively, and Devers already has DH claimed in this scenario. Campbell can play in the outfield, but there\u2019s little incentive to start him over last year\u2019s established outfielders.<\/p>\n With the addition of Alex Bregman, the Boston Red Sox have officially entered their playoff run window. Manager Alex Cora has the pieces needed to build a World<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":39155,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n