Best shortstop in AL? These Bogaerts stats are incredible originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The best shortstop in the American League -- and probably all of Major League Baseball -- plays for the Boston Red Sox.
Xander Bogaerts is one of the biggest reasons why the Red Sox have occupied a playoff spot throughout the 2021 season.
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The 25-year-old shortstop is batting .321 with 11 home runs, 38 RBI and a .921 OPS through 59 games.
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In fact, as Red Sox Notes explained on Twitter, Bogaerts ranks No. 1 in many of the key offensive stats among AL shortstops entering Thursday's games.
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The Red Sox rank third in the AL in batting average, third in runs, second in hits, third in slugging percentage and third in OPS. Bogaerts' production at the plate and his stellar consistency have played a huge part in Boston's offensive success this season.
The last Red Sox shortstop to start for the AL in the MLB All-Star Game was Bogaerts in 2016. He deserves to receive that honor again in 2021.
