In an interview with Chris Ryan, Shortstop, Xander Bogaerts and lead-off hitter, Kike Hernandez Red Sox players discuss the reasons why the Red Sox have improved so much this year.
Xander Bogaerts analyzes the reasons for the team’s improved play this season. The veteran shortstop feels that starting the season together this year is a more normal and comfortable situation than the disjointed COVID season of 2020. Xander Bogaerts also believes that the return of Alex Cora as the team’s manager is a big factor in the turn around of the Red Sox.
When he was asked if he has become the team leader, Bogaerts accepts the role of being a leader, but he believes that there are many leaders on this team. Xander, who has been batting clean-up, discusses how the team’s line-up has improved in 2021.
Kike Hernandez, who was added to the Red Sox in 2021 as a free agent, discusses his role as a lead-off hitter and as a difference maker in the Red Sox lineup. Kike, who played for the World Champion Dodgers last year, believes that he and fellow newcomer, Marwin Gonzalez, bring energy and a positive, winning attitude to the team--in addition to their ability to hit.