There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Boston Red Sox heading into the 2022-23 season and David Ortiz expressed his concerns regarding the middle of the team’s lineup.
The Red Sox managed to lock up the centerpiece of their lineup when they signed Rafael Devers to an 11-year, $331 million contract extension. However, Ortiz has concerns about whether opponents will pitch around Boston’s biggest threat to get to a weak back end of the lineup.
“If I’m facing him I’m pitching around him, regardless,” Ortiz said to WEEI about Devers. “No doubt about it. You’re talking about one of the most feared hitters in baseball right now. I have been there before, and if I had no one behind me they won’t pitch to me. You know that.”
Speaking from experience, Ortiz went through a similar situation at the start of the 2014 season. Desperately wanting Nelson Cruz, Ortiz pushed management to sign the strong batter. Instead, Cruz went to the Baltimore Orioles.
That year, the Red Sox finished fifth in the American League with a losing record, and it was Ortiz who led the way with 35 home runs, followed by Mike Napoli with 17.
As for 2023, the Red Sox lost J.D. Martinez, who signed with the Dodgers to reunite with former Boston star Mookie Betts, and Xander Bogarts, who went to the Padres. With those losses, Ortiz worries about Devers getting support behind him.
“Now you have to find a way who can consistently protect him so he can continue to keep seeing pitches,” Ortiz said. “Because he is still too young and you don’t want to get to the point where you get frustrated because your production is not quite there. You have to see both sides. You have to see if they are pitching you and you are missing pitches, or if they are not pitching you and you are chasing pitches.
“So, we’ll see. Let’s see what the season brings to the table.”
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