SAN DIEGO – There is a framed image outside of Petco Park that shows Xander Bogaerts wearing a Padres home uniform. In the backdrop, there is a palm tree.
It is a jarring image for the many Red Sox fans who are roaming around San Diego this weekend for this reunion series between Bogaerts and the franchise he called home from the day he signed as a 16-year-old out of Aruba in 2009 to the day he signed with the Padres last December.
But it is a welcome sight for Padres fans who come to the ballpark each day in hopes that their new shortstop will lead a stacked squad to championship glory.
Bogaerts, with two World Series rings in his collection already, is motivated to help his 20-24 squad start performing up to expectations. At this point, he doesn’t feel that laid-back vibe that people from San Diego are known for. Just like in Boston, they want to win.
“It’s not chill,” Bogaerts said on Friday before facing the Red Sox as an opponent for the first time. “We know we have to go out there and execute, and we know we’ve got to play better. The fans have been letting us know for a little bit now, so it’s not chillness. It’s 40-something thousand [fans] every day, and they're on our side. So we got to go out there and play better.”
With the Red Sox in town this weekend, it is like a family reunion for Bogaerts. And the fact that both teams were off on Thursday allowed time for Bogaerts to meet up with his close friend and protégé, third baseman Rafael Devers.
“Hopefully, he doesn’t hit any homers,” said Bogaerts. “Listen, that’s a dangerous guy, especially when he's in that box. He’s truly one of a kind.”
On Wednesday, when Devers spoke to the media about his upcoming visit with Bogaerts, he suggested his elder would pick up the check. Bogaerts hit him with a surprise.
“So I saw him and was like, ‘Listen, man, you got to pick this up because I don't even have a dollar, not even if I parked in a meter. I have nothing on me.”’ Bogaerts said.
Devers, who signed an 11-year, $331 million extension with Boston a month after Bogaerts signed for 11 years and $280 million with San Diego, had it covered. And Bogaerts did wind up finding his wallet in his backpack later in the day.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora was equally happy to see Bogaerts, regardless of what jersey he now wears.
“I talked to him,” said Cora. “He came here early, and we talked. He’s in a good place. He loves it. They have a good team. He feels good about it. It was good to talk to him.”
As for the Red Sox, they’ve shown signs they can survive in life after Bogaerts. Boston took a 24-20 record into the weekend, backed by one of the best offenses in MLB. And that’s without Trevor Story, who should be Boston’s shortstop for the next several seasons once he returns around midseason with an internal bracing procedure on his right elbow.
Meanwhile, even though his Padres haven’t hit their stride as a team yet, manager Bob Melvin sees why Cora appreciated Bogaerts so much.
“He’s been fantastic, not only as a player but as a person” Melvin said. “I’ve said often [that] you get a sense for the guy on the other side. A lot of times it’s not really who you think.
“He’s 100% who you think. You talk to anybody around the game, especially anybody over there with the Red Sox, they’ll tell you what a quality individual he is. This is one of the great guys in the game, and it’s pretty universal in everybody’s opinion.”
Though Bogaerts once thought he would be with Boston for his entire career, the business side of the game had other ideas. Bogaerts has no ill will toward his original franchise.
“I mean, it's top class,” Bogaerts said of the Red Sox. “I was there since I was a kid for a long part of my life.”
What does Bogaerts miss most about Boston?
“Not the weather,” he quipped. “I’ll tell you that. The weather is a little tough. But what I do miss, obviously, is the fans. It was a fun ride when I was there. They expected you to go out there and have four hits every day, it’s unrealistic for it to happen, but they expected a lot of you and wanted you to do well.”