Verdugo aiming high: ‘I haven’t peaked at all’

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- For Alex Verdugo, the excitement isn’t what he has done so far but what he is sure he is capable of.

“I honestly feel like I haven’t even touched any part of my ceiling yet. I haven’t peaked at all,” Verdugo said on Friday. “I’m still learning a lot. Each and every year, it’s a big learning curve. You have some things that you step up at and you do better at, and you have some things that you kind of regress in a little bit, and you want to step those up as well. I’ve got a long way to go.”

Verdugo was solid enough last year for the 92-win Red Sox.

That was also the case in the shortened 2020 season, when Verdugo was a rare bright light in a rebuilding campaign for Boston.

But solid isn’t good enough for a fiercely competitive player who is probably younger than you think at 25 years old. Verdugo is just 162 days older than Rafael Devers and 45 days younger than Bobby Dalbec.

“I know that I’m nowhere near the player that I want to be, and it’s coming in time,” said Verdugo.

The left-handed-hitting outfielder, who was acquired from the Dodgers in the Mookie Betts trade two years ago, feels that he will make a big jump in 2022.

“I want to hit over .300 this year,” Verdugo said. “I want to have 40-plus doubles. My goal is just to be a doubles machine. I don’t need the home runs as of right now. At Fenway, once I open up that left side, there’s a lot of doubles out there. Just got to see the ball a little deeper and just stay inside of it, and we’ll be right there.”

In 2021, Verdugo was active for a full 162-game season for the first time. He had 604 plate appearances and slashed .289/.351/.426 while scoring 88 runs and smacking 32 doubles to go with 13 homers and 63 RBIs.

Count Red Sox manager Alex Cora among those who firmly believe there is more in there.

“He’s a complete player. This is a guy, I do believe he can hit 40-something doubles and hit 20 [homers] and score 100 [runs],” said Cora.

And the way Verdugo looks at it, if he can get between 15 and 20 stolen bases, he’ll really be where he wants. Verdugo snagged a career-high six bags last season.

“I want to steal a little bit more bases. I want to be a little bit more aggressive on the basepaths, even if I get thrown out a little bit,” Verdugo said. “I just feel like that’s a big advantage. It makes pitchers rush a little bit, maybe they leave a mistake out over because they’re trying to be quick to the plate.”

Cora chuckled when told Verdugo wants to steal more.

“He also wants to pitch next year,” Cora said, referring to comments Verdugo made in a news conference during the American League Division Series last year.

Cora then turned serious and noted Verdugo is working on his baserunning.

“I think there were a few things last year that he realized he needs to do better at as a baserunner -- jumps, leads and all that, the little details,” Cora said. “And him and [baserunning coach] Ramon [Vázquez] are working hard at it.”

Verdugo also added this: “I want to improve in everything.”

One obvious area Verdugo needs to be better at is hitting lefties. In 2020, he hit .320 against southpaws with a respectable .791 OPS. Last year? He slipped to .228 with a .555 OPS.

“It was just like the definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result,” Verdugo said. “For me, it was like, stop trying to open up and spin off on the ball. Keep that front side in and stay inside the ball, and you’re going to use the big side of the park.”

Given that the Red Sox already have one left-handed hitter unlikely to play against many lefties in Jackie Bradley Jr., it is vital for Verdugo to get back to himself against them.

“Everybody wants to talk about the struggles, and trust me, I get it, I understood it, but I’ve hit lefties my entire life, in the Minors, in the big leagues,” Verdugo said. “Last year was my first true struggle with it. You make those adjustments, you get out of your mind, you trust your process and it’s going to come.”

And now that Verdugo has found his home in left field after bouncing around the outfield in previous years, he expects one more thing of himself.

“I want to win a Gold Glove,” Verdugo said.

For everything to come together the way Verdugo wants, he realizes he will have to channel his emotions better than he has to this point. It’s a delicate balance. Verdugo’s fire is part of what makes him tick.

“Just got to trust the process and not ride that roller coaster too much,” Verdugo said. “Stay even-keeled, stay with your work, and everything’s going to pay off.”