Padres Franchise Blown Away with Xander Bogaerts' Seamless Fit in 2023 Season

The Padres shortstop has been a perfect fit for the Friars

The San Diego Padres swung for the fences this past off-season and acquired one of the biggest free agents, shortstop Xander Bogaerts. 

The Padres and Xander agreed to an 11-year, $280 million contract, and so far, the signing has been a slam dunk for San Diego. The 30-year-old is off to a great start to the season, and usually, that isn't the case when players sign mega contracts. The Padres were familiar with that when they signed Manny Machado in 2019, as he had a career-low in batting average of .256. 

Nonetheless, Bogaerts seems to be a great fit as a Friar, and even his manager Bob Melvin is surprised by his excellent start. 

“I was wondering how it would go early on for him being in Boston for as long as he was,’’ Padres manager Bob Melvin tells USA TODAY Sports, “but he’s been unbelievable. He’s the kind of guy who can walk into a clubhouse, any clubhouse, and fit in from Day 1. Just the way he goes about his business, the respect he gets universally around the league, you never hear a bad word said about him."

“He’s vocal. He’s supportive. He’s just one of those rare guys who seem to fit in really quickly. He’s just a stud. No excuses. Extremely accountable. Wants no part of taking a day off. That’s just who he is."

Bob Nightengale, USA Today

The four-time All-Star is leading in three different team categories thus far, batting average, home runs, and hits. On top of that, he's slashing .273/.366/.447 with a .813 OPS and 15 RBIs in 35 games and 132 ABs. 

Bogaerts admitted that the move to the West Coast has been an adjustment, but overall, he's glad to be a part of the organization.

“That’s the only thing I don’t like," Bogaerts says, “is that there’s no more baseball after I play. So that makes it tough when I go home. Now, I just get to watch the highlights."

“But really, I thought it would be a little difficult. I’m thankful its gone well so far and hopefully I can continue to help the team." 

We're glad that Bogaerts is feeling at home, and even if he didn't, he'd have no other choice as he's here for the long run.