Xander Bogaerts continued to climb the franchise leaderboards in August
In August Xander Bogaerts added a few more accolades to his resume
Photo Credit: The Athletic
For Xander Bogaerts, his time in Boston has been filled with unforgettable moments. He is one of the best shortstops in franchise history and, in August, added to his resume. After a power outage in July, he has returned to form over the last few weeks and changed the franchise record books.
From June first to the end of July, Bogaerts only hit three home runs. He nearly doubled that total in August when he hit four home runs, including his sixth career grand slam. That is the most by a shortstop in franchise history. His grand slam was also the second hardest hit home run of the stat cast era, which began in 2015.
For the two-time World Series champion, it was another example of how valuable he has been to the Red Sox organization. Earlier this season, Bogaerts appeared in his 1,000th game at shortstop, the most by any player in Red Sox history. He also tied Ted Williams for fifth most four-hit games before turning 30 in franchise history on August sixth. However, his accolades don’t stop there.
On August 3, he became the ninth player in Red Sox history to reach the 150-home run mark before turning thirty. While his power numbers are down compared to the past, the Aruba native has still managed to hit double-digit home runs for the seventh consecutive season. Despite a future of uncertainty, he is making an impact offensively.
With September in full swing, Bogaerts will be looking to build on his August success. In 97 at-bats, he had 15 runs batted in and ten extra-base hits. He was an on-base machine with seven multi-hit efforts in the last eight games of the month. With more contact, his strikeout total dropped from 21 in July to 16 in August.
Entering the final weeks of the 2022 campaign, Bogaerts is in the midst of perhaps his best stretch this season. He is hitting the ball with more authority, and, as a result, the Red Sox offense has been better. Regardless of how the offseason unfolds, he has continued to etch himself into the record books.
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