Mitch Moreland emerging into doubles machine
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New guys on the Boston Red Sox are often the ones to take a lot of criticism. Now, you can’t say anything bad about Mitch Moreland. Or if you do, then you’re probably wrong because it’s not warranted this week.
Straight up ignore the fact that he started the year by going 0-for-12. Moreland set a team record, a franchise record nine games into the Red Sox season. So in other words, yes, he’s played every game this season because he had those two 0-for’s at the plate. Then in the third game, he struck out with the bases loaded and got out again before he became the finest doubles hitter in Red Sox history. Yes, he’s doubled in seven straight games. That’s something no other Red Sox player had even done. And who knows, maybe he keeps this doubles streak going….
Watching the guy play, he just seems like his swing is perfect for Fenway Park. He can utilize the park quite well with his gap power. Sure, he doesn’t have a home run yet. But like Andrew McCutchen said yesterday, a lot of guys haven’t gone yard quite yet.
Andrew McCutchen showed his sense of humor when I used an idiom when asking a question pic.twitter.com/GTuduWoMrW
— Tom Joyce (@TomJoyceSports) April 14, 2017
Oh and it’s not just like Moreland has seven doubles, he has an American League-best eight two-baggers. Eight of his 11 hits are doubles. Plus he’s hitting .324 with a .969 OPS in nine games despite starting the year 0-for-12, as aforementioned. So yeah, he’s like the Red Sox best hitter right now.
The question that remains though is: how much longer can he keep this up. Not necessarily the streak per se but just giving the Red Sox a lot of extra base power. That kind of stuff is important. Plus, like at this rate, he’s bound to set a lot of MLB records. But calm down because it’s only April. A lot can change in the future.