Narciso Crook 'getting more comfortable' in transition to first base for WooSox
Narciso Crook joined the Red Sox system in early 2023 as a minor league free agent, becoming the third organization he has played in during his professional career. He made his MLB debut last season with the Chicago Cubs.
Now, he is helping out the WooSox with their roster crunch they have been experiencing over the past couple of months. With a few injuries and call ups depleting the Worcester roster, Crook has stepped up and started playing a position he hasn’t played much of in his professional career.
“I am getting more comfortable.” Crook told Beyond the Monster about being at first base. “The more games out there and innings I get, the more comfortable I feel. I haven’t played that much over there, but I have been working at it since spring training in case the opportunity came and it did.”
Crook has only played in 18 games at first base over his 10 year professional career. The rest have come in the three outfield spots.
How big a difference is preparing for the new spot been?
“It’s a lot, honestly.” Crook said. “I have been playing outfield for over ten years in professional ball so I can safely say that I know what to do out there pretty well. I am pretty confident I can just wake up and go out there and play outfield with no prep needed. It is a lot different from the infield. It is a new position for me, I have been practicing at it for a year or two, but I need to make sure I get myself ready and do my preparations so when I am out there I am out there feeling confident.”
Crook has played eight games now at first base for the WooSox this season. We have seen him make a few diving stops that really showed off his athleticism.
“Just being athletic in general is important for any position you play.” Crook noted. “It helps for me to move around and go after balls and move quickly. It gives me a lot of range there and I am trying my best to help the team so if my athleticism can help with that, I will try my best to make it work.”
As we start to see more of the injured WooSox come back after the All-Star break, Crook’s services may no longer be needed at first. However, the versatility he has shown has proved to be valuable and can spot the team starts at first base if called upon.
“I have to see the ball on the ground more than seeing it in the air.” Crook said about life at first. “Just being able to get used to it and make sure I am paying attention and seeing the little things that make me good over there.”
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Nice player,complementing player to others. He is a 4/5th outfielder and not much more than that