Inside The Red Sox

Should Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts and Trevor Story Swap Positions Next Year?

It appears that Bogey might have been on the wrong side of the diamond in 2022

Scott Neville

Should Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts and Trevor Story Swap Positions Next Year?
Should Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts and Trevor Story Swap Positions Next Year? /
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Could Boston Red Sox keep the same infield in tact next season with a position swap up the middle?

While the biggest question surrounds shortstop Xander Bogaerts' uncertain future in Boston, the club should consider a position change while they're at it.

Bogaerts put together three defensive runs saved this season, which ranks him No. 19 out of 144 players registered at shortstop. He's had an incredible resurgence defensively, but his best position appears to be on the other side of the diamond.

The 30-year-old has never made an official appearance at second base but has thrived when asked to move over there in certain shifts with five outs above average.

Given Trevor Story's incredible range and overall defensive prowess, it would make the most sense for a position swap. Story ranked No. 8 in DRS among 184 players at second base in only 94 games this season. He's already been a Gold Glove award finalist at shortstop and could reassume the role with ease.

While the experiment would likely result in the best defensive positioning possible assuming Bogaerts stays in Boston, it's highly unlikely to happen. 

Bogaerts clearly takes pride in being the shortstop of the Red Sox, which was made clear when all of the quotes came out amid rumors of a potential position change last winter. He's now backed up his confidence with the best defensive season of his career, and it'd be a tough sell to demote him now, even if Boston paid him as a shortstop. 

The team also has made no inclination that Story would move back to shortstop at the conclusion of the 2022 season. If the Red Sox saw Story's time in second base as temporary, they would not have been so against the 29-year-old getting reps there.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora explained early on that he wanted Story to learn everything there is to know about playing second base and that he would not play shortstop this season. He held true to his word, as Story has not played an inning outside of second base. 

If the Red Sox saw the situation as temporary, you'd think they would want Story to get some reps at shortstop, particularly when Bogaerts was given rest days. Instead, the team turned to guys like Christian Arroyo and Kiké Hernández to fill in up the middle because they wanted Story to stay at second.

There's almost no chance Boston would resign Bogaerts and then swap the two middle infielders, but the numbers indicate that it could be the best path for a defense that has been lackluster for years. 

More MLB: Red Sox's Chaim Bloom Hints At Garrett Whitlock's New Role Next Season

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Scott Neville
SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer.  His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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