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Around the Horn: Steady production key at infield corners
- Updated: January 6, 2017
With the start of Spring Training just a few weeks away, anticipation is building for the 2017 season. MLB.com is going around the horn to break down each area of the Red Sox, continuing with the corner infield.
At the two corner infield spots, the Red Sox have one new face and one rebuilt body. The hope is that first baseman Mitch Moreland and third baseman Pablo Sandoval can provide steady production on both sides of the plate.
Considering how much firepower Boston has offensively, Moreland and Sandoval don’t need to put up gaudy numbers. More than anything, reliability is the expectation here.
In three of the past four years, Moreland has hit 22 or 23 homers. And last year, he added a Rawlings Gold Glove Award to his resume.
“I always believed that kid could be special,” David Ortiz said of Moreland last month. “It all depends on how much they play him.”
At the very least, Moreland should start at first base against righties. Depending on how well he can tailor his left-handed swing for Fenway Park, it could develop into more playing time. In 2016, Moreland performed better against lefties.
“We’re certainly open to his at-bats growing in number against …
