Bogaerts' power will come, according to Red Sox hitting coach Chili Davis, but the coach doesn't want the shortstop applying any undue pressure on himself to hit more home runs, CSN New England reports.
Davis is relieved to see Bogaerts taking the same approach as he did in 2015 when the shortstop was third in MLB with 196 hits. The breakthroughs Davis observed last season -- Bogaerts' confidence with two strikes; learning to handle fastballs in; laying off breaking balls out of the zone; and a reduction in his strike out rate -- are more important than going after home runs. The takeaway here is don't expect a big jump from the seven homers Bogaerts hit in 2015. He could eventually become a 20-homer guy, but that won't happen in 2016.