Xander Bogaerts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Xander Bogaerts |
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Bogaerts with the San Diego Padres in 2023
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| San Diego Padres – No. 2 | ||||||||||||||
| Shortstop / Second baseman | ||||||||||||||
| Born: October 1, 1992 San Nicolaas, Aruba |
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| debut | ||||||||||||||
| August 20, 2013, for the Boston Red Sox | ||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics (through 2024 season) |
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| Batting average | .289 | |||||||||||||
| Hits | 1,693 | |||||||||||||
| Home runs | 186 | |||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 785 | |||||||||||||
| Stolen bases | 106 | |||||||||||||
| Teams | ||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Xander Jan Bogaerts (born October 1, 1992) is a professional baseball player from Aruba. He plays as a shortstop and second baseman. Currently, he plays for the San Diego Padres in Major League Baseball (MLB). Before that, he played for the Boston Red Sox. Xander also plays for the Netherlands national baseball team in international games.
The Red Sox signed Xander in 2009. He made his MLB debut in 2013. He helped the Red Sox win the World Series that year. In 2014, he became the Red Sox's main shortstop. He won his second World Series in 2018. Xander has won the American League's Silver Slugger Award five times. He has also been an All-Star four times. In 2022, he set a record for most games played at shortstop for the Red Sox. After 10 seasons, he joined the Padres in 2023.
Xander's Baseball Journey
Starting in the Minor Leagues
A scout for the Boston Red Sox named Mike Lord first noticed Xander in 2009. Xander was only 16 years old then. He signed a contract with the Red Sox for $410,000.
In 2010, Xander started his professional career. He played in the Dominican Summer League (DSL). He had a great batting average of .314. He led his team in hits, home runs, and runs batted in (RBIs). In 2011, he played for the Greenville Drive. He hit 16 home runs in 72 games.
By 2012, Xander played for the Portland Sea Dogs. He was chosen for the 2012 All-Star Futures Game. Before the 2013 season, experts ranked him as one of the top young players.
Playing for the Boston Red Sox
First Years and World Series Wins (2013–2015)
Xander started 2013 with the Portland Sea Dogs. He was promoted to the Pawtucket Red Sox in June. On August 19, the Red Sox called him up to the major leagues. He made his MLB debut on August 20. Five days later, he got his first major league hit. On September 7, he hit his first MLB home run.
Even though he joined late, Xander played in the postseason. He batted .296 in 12 games. This helped the Red Sox win their eighth World Series.
In 2014, Xander became the Red Sox's starting shortstop. He batted .240 with 12 home runs. In 2015, he had a career-high .320 batting average. He finished second in the American League for the batting title. He won his first Silver Slugger Award for shortstops. He was also a finalist for the Rawlings Gold Glove Award.
All-Star Seasons and Second World Series (2016–2019)
In 2016, Xander continued as the Red Sox's shortstop. He had a 26-game hitting streak from May to June. He was chosen for his first MLB All-Star Game. He finished the season batting .294 with 21 home runs. He won his second Silver Slugger Award.
In 2017, Xander agreed to a $4.5 million salary. He was hit by a pitch on his wrist in July. He played through the injury, which he later said was a mistake. He finished the season batting .273 with 10 home runs.
For the 2018 season, Xander's salary was $7.05 million. He hit two grand slams in April. He was named AL Player of the Week in July. He hit another grand slam, which was a walk-off home run. He finished the season with 23 home runs and 103 RBIs. The Red Sox won the World Series. Xander was the only player on both the 2013 and 2018 World Series teams.
In 2019, Xander signed a six-year contract for $132 million. He was selected for the 2019 All-Star Game. On September 7, he got his 1,000th MLB hit. He finished 2019 with a .309 average, 52 doubles, and 33 home runs. He won his third Silver Slugger Award.
Later Years with Boston (2020–2022)
In the short 2020 season, Xander was Boston's main shortstop. He had a 10-game hitting streak to end the season. He batted .300 with 11 home runs. He led all AL shortstops in home runs and RBIs.
Xander was the starting shortstop again in 2021. On July 1, he was named the AL starting shortstop for the 2021 All-Star Game. He played 144 games, batting .295 with 23 home runs. He won his fourth Silver Slugger Award.
In 2022, Xander was again the Red Sox's main shortstop. He was named to the AL All-Star team as a reserve. He was also named AL Player of the Week in September. He batted .307 with 15 home runs. He won his fifth Silver Slugger Award. On November 7, 2022, Xander chose to leave his Red Sox contract. He became a free agent.
Joining the San Diego Padres
On December 9, 2022, Xander signed a big 11-year contract with the San Diego Padres. It was worth $280 million.
On April 29, 2023, Xander hit a home run in the MLB Mexico City Series. He became the first player to hit home runs in four different countries: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Mexico.
For the 2024 season, Xander moved to second base. On May 20, 2024, he fractured his left shoulder. This happened while he was trying to make a diving play.
Playing for His Country
Xander is from Aruba, which is part of the Netherlands. He has played for the Netherlands national baseball team. He played in the 2011 Baseball World Cup, which his team won. He also played in the 2013 World Baseball Classic and the 2017 World Baseball Classic. In 2017, he led the Dutch team in walks.
Xander played for the Dutch team again in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. His team finished with a 2-2 record. However, they were eliminated due to tiebreaker rules.
Xander's Life Outside Baseball
Xander has a twin brother named Jair. Jair also signed with the Red Sox.
Xander is the fifth player from Aruba to play in MLB. In 2011, he was honored with the Knights Order of Orange-Nassau. This was after he won the gold medal in the Baseball World Cup. Xander speaks four languages: English, Spanish, Dutch, and Papiamento. Papiamento and Dutch are Aruba's official languages. In 2021, a school in Aruba was renamed "Scol Basico Xander Bogaerts" in his honor.
See also
In Spanish: Xander Bogaerts para niños
