Alex Verdugo is working hard to carve out his own path in Boston.
Addressing the media Friday after a two-homer game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Verdugo, the centerpiece of the Red Sox’s return package for Mookie Betts, said he did not like being compared to the former AL MVP, per Brook Smith of Dodgers Nation:
“I don’t think about Mookie. I think he’s a great player, he did a lot for Boston, he’s going to do a lot for the Dodgers. I think about me being here, what I’m going to do, what I’m going to bring to this team. It’s not a comparable thing, I don’t like comparing it, I don’t like it when people bring it up. But obviously the nature of the trade, it’s going to happen, people are going to say it … I don’t care about shoes to fill or anything like that.
“It’s one of those things I think it’s weird that so many media or fans everybody wants to bring it up like it’s such a big deal. To me, I don’t think of it like that. Like I said, he’s not here. I’m not replacing him. Like yeah I was part of the trade … I don’t think about it."
The 24-year-old Verdugo is hitting .294 with three homers and four RBI in his first 11 games for the Red Sox, settling in as the team’s everyday right fielder. He was acquired from the Dodgers in February along with Jeter Downs and Connor Wong as part of the package for Betts and David Price.
Betts was a big fan favorite, and Boston fans were not happy about the trade. But all Verdugo can do is focus on his own production, and he seems to be doing a good job of that so far.
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