| Bartolo Colon Jersey , the Boston Red Sox are placing their bets on a new leadoff man.AL MVP Mookie Betts will hit second next year, a season after he led the big leagues in batting average and slugging percentage from the top spot.Andrew Benintendi will move up a slot and hit first for the majors’ highest-scoring team, manager Alex Cora said Tuesday at the winter meetings.“I think we’re going to maximize Mookie in a different spot. Flip-flop them, Beni leading off and Mookie hitting second. Talked to him, it makes sense,” Cora said.“You guys saw what happened towards the end of the season, he became very passive again,” he said. “And it’s not that I don’t like that, I know what type of hitter he is. But I think doing that, Beni can be aggressive. … He’s a good runner. He gets on base, and I put it this way to Mookie. And I know Beni’s OK with it. But if you play 162 games, you’re going to come up 162 at-bats with nobody on.”Betts topped the majors in batting (.346) and slugging percentage (.640) and was second in on-base average (.438) for the 108-win Red Sox. He also had 84 extra-base hits, including 32 home runs, and stole 30 bases.“Last year, what I wanted from him in the leadoff spot Jon Niese Jersey , we accomplished. It’s a different season and we have to make adjustments, and that’s where we’re going to go,” Cora said.Benintendi hit .290 with 16 homers, 87 RBIs and a .366 on-base average.Cora actually is hoping someone else bats leadoff when the Red Sox open next season on March 28 at Seattle — that would be Dustin Pedroia.The longtime Red Sox star was limited to only three games last season because of lingering knee problems. As a tribute, Cora would love to put Pedroia in the top spot, where he’s occasionally hit over the years, on that first day against the Mariners.The 35-year-old Pedroia has been working out, trying to get back on the field.“I’m looking forward for him to lead off that game. That’s the only time. I told the guys, if Pedey is going to play, if he’s ready for opening day, he’ll lead off that day. He deserves that,” Cora said.“He’s a huge part of this organization. What he did last year, think about it, man, like he didn’t play Edinson Volquez Jersey , but he was there. He was there for them the whole time. And there were a lot of conversations in the cage, in the dugout, in the clubhouse, that he was a part of it,” he said. WASHINGTON (AP) — Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo indicated during a session with reporters Wednesday that first-year manager Dave Martinez will return next season.“I haven’t considered any other scenario,” Rizzo responded when asked if Martinez would be back.The Nationals, expected to contend for a third straight NL East title, entered Wednesday with a 69-70 record, 7 1/2 games behind Atlanta in the East and eight games back in the wild card.In addition to injuries to players including Daniel Murphy, Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg and Sean Doolittle, Martinez’s work as a rookie skipper has come under scrutiny.“I think Davey’s doing a great job in managing this team,” Rizzo said. “He’s managed them through a lot of trials and tribulations that a lot of first-year managers haven’t had to go through, and to have a team playing with the exuberance and energy level that they’re playing at at this point I think is a testament to Davey and the staff and the way that they feel about him in the clubhouse.”The 53-year-old Martinez was the Chicago Cubs bench coach before he signed a three-year contract with the Nationals in October 2017. Martinez replaced veteran manager Dusty Baker, who went 192-132 in two seasons with Washington Kendall Graveman Jersey , but was unable to win a postseason series either year.This year’s team was 33-22 after winning their sixth straight game on May 30. They haven’t won as many as four in a row since. Both the Braves and second-place Philadelphia have played sub-.500 baseball since Aug. 15, but the Nationals have failed to make a big move, going 9-9.“We thought all along we had a chance to catch those teams,” Rizzo said, “and if we played the way we’re supposed to be playing that we’d have an opportunity to make this a race and it’s frustrating that we haven’t put anything together to really push them to the limits that we thought we should.”The Nationals stood pat at the July trade deadline and Rizzo expressed confidence in the team as constituted, but a run did not materialize and the team has since traded away a number of veterans, among them Murphy, Matt Adams, Ryan Madson and Gio Gonzalez, saving significant payroll dollars.Outfielder Bryce Harper, who entered Wednesday with 31 homers and 89 RBIs, will be a free agent after this season and third baseman Anthony Rendon’s turn will come after next season.“If we have or we haven’t, we’re certainly not going to discuss it in this venue,” Rizzo said when asked if he’s made an effort to sign the pair to long-term contracts. “Suffice it to say both of those guys are near and dear to our heart and we’d love to have them long-term.” |
