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Xander Bogaerts

Xander Bogaerts working on his hitting for 2017

by John Aubin | Padres Correspondent | Mon, Feb 20th 5:38am EST

Xander Bogaerts' slump during the second half of 2016 was partially due to him making a decision where he wanted to hit the ball before the pitch reached him, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal reports. Bogaerts hit just .253 after the All-Star break, though within that stretch there were pockets of a better approach, something that assistant hitting coach Victor Rodriguez pointed out to the shortstop. "You just have to start up the middle," Bogaerts said. "If you start up the middle, you can hit in and away. Sometimes I think too much away, and when they throw me in, all I can do is a little jam shot. If you think middle and keep your body straight, you see it and recognize -- and boom." (Providence Journal)

Fantasy Impact:

Even with the second-half slump, Boegarts had a great season at the plate. He finished with a .294 average with 21 HRs, 89 RBI, 115 runs and 13 SBs. Going into fantasy drafts, Boegart is considered a top five SS and fantasy owners should think about grabbing him in the third or fourth round. If he can improve his mechanics he could have a big year and bring back first round value.

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