FORT MYERS – When Xander Bogaerts shifts to the right side of the infield, he looks into the Red Sox dugout for guidance and finds three experts who know exactly what he’s going through.
There’s manager Alex Cora, with more than 3,500 big league innings at both second base and shortstop. There’s analytics coach Ramon Vazquez, who played nine seasons as a utility man in the majors. There’s third base coach Carlos Febles, who spent five years as a Royals second baseman before getting time at shortstop in his late 20s.
They know exactly how it feels to change the angles, tweak the responsibilities, and make everything familiar seem just a little bit off.