Xander Bogaerts of the San Diego Padres reacts after scoring a run during the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on July 23, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
At 56-50, the San Diego Padres sit in second place in the National League West, six and a half games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and in sole possession of the second wild-card spot.
Six games ago, the Padres weren’t holding a playoff spot. They were 50-50, hovering at .500, and had won just three of their previous 10 games.
Some of the quick turnaround can be chalked up to starting pitcher Dylan Cease, who threw the second no-hitter in franchise history on Thursday night. Over his last two starts, Cease threw 16 innings, allowing just one hit and no runs, striking out 19 and walking four.
But the real impetus behind the turnaround in San Diego, where the Swingin’ Friars have won six straight, is second baseman Xander Bogaerts.
Bogaerts, a native of Oranjestad, Aruba, had five multi-hit games over the last six games, scored five runs and drove in another, earning him World Baseball Network‘s International MLB Player of the Week honors. He started the previous week with a 2-for-5 performance in the 7-0 win at Cleveland July 20, and followed that by going 2-for-4 with a stolen base as the Padres took the series from the Guardians with a 2-1 win on Jul 21. In a three-game set with Washington, Bogaerts went 7-for-11 with two walks and four runs scored, and capped off the week Friday with a 3-for-4 night in a 6-4 win at Baltimore with a double, an RBI and run scored.
The hot week has pushed Bogaerts’ batting average from .230 to .265 and his OPS from .585 to .686. While the Arbuan infielder hasn’t been able to match the numbers he posted in Boston since coming to San Diego, the marked improvement has helped propel the Padres, who were widely expected to be in competition for a division title each of the past two years, back into the pennant race.
It also puts some gloss on the free agent pact the Padres reached with Bogaerts prior to the 2023 season. He’s signed through 2033 and will earn $25,454,545.50 each of the next nine seasons. Essentially, Bogaerts will be getting paid for his expected production for years to come, long after his best years are behind him.
Perhaps this week is the start of a turnaround not just for the Padres, but for Bogaerts as well.
