Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Farrell: Chris Young Gets 'Every At-Bat' Against LHP

Chris Young (Getty Images)
Red Sox manager John Farrell appeared on WEEI's Hot Stove Show last night and revealed a whopper. Newly-acquired OF Chris Young will get every at-bat against left-handed pitching. Previously, it had been thought that Young would be 'slotted in' from time-to-time as the fourth outfielder—along with Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley, Jr., and Rusney Castillo. Of course, this raises the question of "who sits?". Last season, Bradley hit very well against lefties—part of his overall offensive renaissance. And, 2016 was supposed to be the year that Castillo got full-time consistent playing time. Farrell had these ominous words, "We know he’s [Bradley] going to play premium type of defense, but still, you look at the long-term track record of both he and Rusney, there’s some checkered past early in their careers. We like the abilities, we’ve got some depth, and we can keep some guys from getting overexposed. The overall athleticism is certainly a plus in the group of four." Hmm. Stay tuned!