As it turns out, Bogaerts a perfect fit for Padres

This story was excerpted from AJ Cassavell’s Padres Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

So far, Xander Bogaerts’ fit feels natural.

And that was always the biggest question, wasn't it?

No one doubted what Bogaerts was capable of. For a decade, he was one of the most productive players in Boston, part of two World Series winners. But Bogaerts' fit in San Diego seemed curious. The Padres employed a team full of shortstops, after all.

"I didn't know in the beginning how I would fit, to be honest," Bogaerts said.

Bogaerts admits he was somewhat skeptical of the Padres' initial approach. Then, he sat down with team brass, who explained what would come next. Bogaerts had the shortstop job in 2023, and the Padres' versatile group of infielders could accommodate that plan. Fernando Tatis Jr., meanwhile, would shift to the outfield -- always the organization’s preferred option for ‘23, as Tatis works his way back from multiple surgeries.

Convinced, Bogaerts signed with the Padres for 11 years.

"It's a lot, right?" Bogaerts said. "But I love baseball. I enjoy learning every day. I'm never the type of guy that thinks he knows it all. It'll be a good transition for me, and the guys here have made it a good transition.

"I mean, I never knew what to expect. I'd been with one team for the whole first half of my career. Just being able to have these guys bring me in, it was very helpful, made the transition that much easier."

He's making the transition smooth for himself, too. Bogaerts is off to a scorching start to his Padres tenure, hitting .409 with three homers and three doubles across the team's season-opening six-game homestand. Only Carlos Quentin notched more total bases in his first six games as a Padre. Defensively, Bogaerts has been solid to start the year as well.

"I'm a guy that takes more pride in my defense than my hitting," he said. "It works out that my hitting is a little bit better, but I really do enjoy defense, saving a run any time I can."

The metrics support Ha-Seong Kim as the significantly better shortstop -- one of the best shortstops in the league, in fact. But the Padres feel Kim is capable of reaching those same heights at second base. His versatility is already proving useful.

The Padres haven’t gone too deeply into what the future holds, positionally, for the 30-year-old Bogaerts. But the shortstop job is his for 2023 and perhaps beyond if he can stake his claim.

So far, so good. Bogaerts’ first week as a Padre was filled with memorable moments. His Opening Day ovation was perhaps third loudest, behind only Manny Machado’s and Joe Musgrove’s.

“My first All-Star game [was] here,” Bogaerts said of Petco Park. “I've loved it ever since.”

Bogaerts acknowledged it felt a bit strange hearing that Opening Day ovation 3,000 miles from Fenway Park. But the goal remains the same as it ever was. Bogaerts won a title in his rookie 2013 season. He won again in ’18. He wouldn’t mind making it an every-fifth-year ritual.

"It's obviously a lot of expectations, which is good," Bogaerts said of joining an already-loaded roster. "Every day you're going out there, you know that they expect you and the team to do great stuff. Obviously with the payroll and talent that we have, the excitement from last year coming over to this year, Padres baseball has the possibility of doing something special. I'm happy to be a part of that."

The Padres are happy to have him.