Nick Sogard talks about his bond with WooSox pitcher Chase Shugart; ‘He’s my guy’
The Red Sox acquired infielder Nick Sogard prior to the 2021 season in a four-player deal with the Rays. After spending the last few seasons in the Red Sox system, Sogard is becoming more and more comfortable and forcing the organization to look at him as an option for the major league roster in the future.
“I felt pretty comfortable right away straight into Greenville, which was nice,” said Sogard on the To the Show We Go Podcast. “The organization did a pretty good job of bringing me in and kind of making me feel good. It was also my first full season so I didn't really have a lot of like expectations or I didn't really know because I've only been a Tampa for such a short time. So it wasn't like it was this brand new. Like you know, I didn't really even know Tampa that well. So I felt comfortable coming over.”
This past season, Sogard played all over the diamond for Chad Tracy. He didn’t many chances at the beginning of the season to showcase his ability, but when players went down with injuries and were called up to the bigs, the 26-year-old seized his opportunity.
“I just kind of hung in there at the beginning and take opportunities when they came. I've been told that throughout my whole life, so I was pretty comfortable in that role. And I'm always, you know, confident in myself to break out of that role as well,” added Sogard.
Sogard hit .266 this past season with 104 hits, seven homers, 47 RBIs, 17 stolen bases and posted a .761 OPS. He went from part-time player to the WooSox leadoff man.
One person who was a valuable resource for Sogard this past season was his roommate, WooSox reliever Chase Shugart. The two have been in the Sox system the last couple of seasons, but it wasn’t until 2023 where they bonded.
Sogard and Shugart would offer each other advice after games on the ride home from the ballpark. Each player getting a perspective from the hitter and pitcher’s point of view became valuable.
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“I think it's valuable especially to have being a pitcher, you know, because they're obviously thinking a lot different than we are or vice versa,” said Sogard. “But sometimes we're thinking the same thing, you know, sometimes we get in there and not, not every time either one of us wants to talk about it. But, you know, sometimes we'll be thinking the same things or sometimes, you know, he might ask, I might say, ‘Hey, you should have thrown this pitch to this guy.’ Because I think a lot of times, especially for a bullpen guy can be tougher, because they've been sitting out there, the whole game, you know, and then I've watched this guy hit maybe three or four times already kind of tell like what he's on or, you know, whatever, but, and then he'll do the same thing with certain bats that I take, because maybe he'll pay a little more attention to mine. And then some other guys, I don't know, but it was a cool dynamic to have him that kind of exchange ideas with.”
The Red Sox haven’t announced who has been invited to spring training next season to work out with the big league club. Sogard has done more than enough to try and win a spot on the bench heading into the new year.
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