Alex Cora Reveals Red Sox Outfield Plan Amid Logjam
Alex Cora Reveals Red Sox Outfield Plan Amid Logjam originally appeared on NESN . Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Boston Red Sox are going into the season with one of the most stacked outfields in baseball, but finding regular playing time for their five stars will not be easy.
The Red Sox are in a situation where perhaps 29 other teams would trade away one of their outfielders. However, Alex Cora and Craig Breslow clearly believe having Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida all on the team is a plus. Between those five players, there are four spots.
Rafaela and Abreu seem cemented as regulars in center field and right field, with regular off days. Anthony and Duran figure to share left field and the designated hitter spot. If those were the four players the Red Sox had to find time for, things would be easy.
However, Yoshida hit very well in the World Baseball Classic and even played solid defense in right field, leaving Cora with the task of finding out how to play all five players regularly. According to The Boston Globe's Alex Speier and Peter Abraham , Cora met with all of the outfielders individually to discuss how they may be getting more time off than they would like. He noted that all five players will get regular at-bats.
“We’re going to use everybody, and everybody has to be ready,” Cora told The Boston Globe. “Everybody’s going to benefit from the luxury that we have. We’ve got five good players.