Why Red Sox OF Alex Verdugo thinks he can pitch in the big leagues as a two-way player

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Alex Verdugo knows he can be better than he was in 2021, his first full big league season in which he learned some important lessons on the rigor of a 162-game season.

Oh, and he also wants to become a two-way player.

Speaking before the Red Sox faced the Rays in Game 2 of the American League Division Series on Friday, Verdugo outlined his plans to begin a throwing program this winter as he intends to pitch in the big leagues as soon as 2023, though he doesn’t think he can handle the workload of Shohei Ohtani.

“One hundred percent, yeah,” Verdugo said when asked if he actually was going to do it. “I don’t know if I’ll pitch next year, but definitely by 2023 I want to try to just be a two-way player. Not an Ohtani, where he is starting and all that. I just want to be a reliever. Come in, help the boys out, something like that.

“Obviously, I know I have a long ways to go. My thing is give me a year or so to build up my arm strength, long toss and all that, make sure the arm can handle the hard throws. And hey, a couple blow-out games, let me go out there and pitch. If my stuff is good, I’m getting swing and miss, why not run with it? If it’s flat, average, and I’m not getting the job done, then hey, at least I tried it.”

Verdugo said he hasn’t pitched since high school, when he was a highly-touted two-way player at Sahuaro High School in Arizona. Selected 62nd overall by the Dodgers, Verdugo was considered a better pitcher than a hitter by Baseball America, which wrote, “As a position player, Verdugo profiles as a corner outfielder with an above-average arm, below-average speed and hitting potential. Some teams believe he wants to go out as a hitter, but his professional future is definitely on the mound.”

But Verdugo never pitched with the Dodgers organization and quickly shot up the prospect rankings as an outfielder, largely because of his ability to hit for average. He was a career .309 hitter in the minors and is a .290 hitter in the big leagues.

He was clearly the Red Sox’ MVP in 2020, when he hit leadoff and brought critical energy to a last-place team while hitting .308 with an .844 OPS and seven outfield assists.

But he had a down year in 2021, dealing with a hamstring injury and learning how to keep his body healthy for a full season.

“My numbers aren’t quite where I wanted them to be at,” he said. “I struggled against lefties this year, which is rare for me. I just ran through two months, June and July, where I was repeatedly doing the same thing, having the same mindset against a lefty and having the same outcome instead of trying to stay inside the ball and using the whole field.

“I think I can get better at everything in the offseason. This is my first full 162-plus. So just getting a better understanding of what my body needs and what I need to switch in my offseason program.”

Manager Alex Cora agreed that Verdugo has to learn how to take care of himself over a full season.

“But he’s a joy to manage,” Cora said. “He is a great kid. He’s very passionate about it. He knows himself… He will hit for more power with time. I think those doubles are going to turn into home runs. As long as he doesn’t try. We’ve been through that in the past with some players, right?”

It sounded like Cora was alluding to Andrew Benintendi, who considered himself an average hitter who would hit 40 doubles a year, but got too big with his swing and suffered when he tried to become more of a power hitter.

Asked if he felt they were similar players, Cora said, “Yeah I think the tool set. We always felt liek Benny could hit .300, hit 40 doubles, hit 20 homers, steal bases. Being the all-around player that sometimes we don’t see nowadays. So he can be the complete package, yeah.”

And maybe even pitch?

Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom told the Herald before Friday’s game that the Red Sox haven’t discussed the idea of Verdugo becoming a two way player and they’re focused on winning this series, but noted how highly touted he was as a pitcher out of high school.

“He feels he can throw 97, 98 mph,” Cora said of Verdugo. “I guess he used to do that. We’re like, ‘No, you’re not doing that. You’re actually going to get better physically and you have to take care of yourself.’”

But Verdugo insists he wants to be a pitcher one day.

“If they’re willing to give me an opportunity to do that, I would love that,” Verdugo said. “The competitor in me just tries to maximize what I can do for the team. If pitching is a realistic thing, I’m going to pursue it and try to do both.”