Nick Sogard is making the most of his opportunity with the Red Sox
After 1,647 at-bats in the minors, Nick Sogard finally earned his first promotion to the majors on July 31st. In his first two weeks with the Red Sox, he has provided a spark offensively and put together quality at-bats every night. While his MLB career is just starting, the California native is making the most of his opportunities.
Through 32 plate appearances, Sogard has posted a .281 batting average and driven in three runs. He has at least one hit in six of the nine games he has played in and shown excellent plate discipline, drawing four walks. Regardless of who is on the mound, the 26-year-old keeps finding a way to get on base.
For many in the organization, Sogard’s success has come as no surprise. In 89 games for the WooSox this season, the former 12th-round pick posted a .279 batting average and drove in 54 runs. Due to his consistency at the plate and ability to play multiple positions, Sogard was hard to keep out of the lineup.
That has also been the case in the majors, where Sogard has made history. On Friday, he became the first player in franchise history since Ty LaForest in 1945 to record a double, walk, and stolen base in a game within their first six career games. While taking advantage of what pitchers give him, Sogard has not had to hit the ball out of the ballpark to make an impact.
As the Red Sox battle for a playoff spot over the next few weeks, Sogard could be a valuable piece. He has not seemed fazed by the increased pressure and, on Monday night against the Rangers, helped put the Red Sox in position for a walk-off win. So far, he has made the transition to the majors seem easy and impressed his new manager Alex Cora.
“ Just a quality at-bat,” Cora told reporters on Friday. “ He’s got a pretty good idea of what to swing at. He doesn't’t chase. He gets to the fastball. So far, he’s been good and the fact that he’s a switch-hitter gives us kind of the philosophy of being patient…He’s been solid. He’s played great defense too. Made some nice plays at second and shortstop. So far, it’s been fun to watch.”
While the Red Sox will have some hard decisions to make when everyone is healthy, Sogard has shown he has no intentions of being sent back to Worcester.
