Sahuaro Alum Alex Verdugo is Making Waves in the MLB

Alex Verdugo (Offthebenchbaseball)

Alex Verdugo (Offthebenchbaseball)

Calvin Mueller, Headline News Editor

Getty Images
HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 18: David Price #24 and Mookie Betts #50 of the Boston Red Sox

Lives being ripped apart, raging fans with pitchforks, this is the reality of the business of baseball. In the most recent case, the Boston Red Sox came under scrutiny by trading their star player, Mookie Betts, to the Los Angeles Dodgers. This isn’t the first time the franchise from Boston traded a promising young star. Ever heard of Babe Ruth?

Why would they trade two of their 2018 World Champions? Well, most speculate that this is a payroll unloading to help relieve their strain of two huge contracts. There were last minute changes and speculation that the trade would even happen. The original deal involved the Minnesota Twins sending Brusdar Graterol, a pitcher, to the Red Sox per medical. Per medical is key. Due to his medical past, the Red Sox had second thoughts, maybe because they came under huge scrutiny for trading David Price and Mookie Betts. So, the Twins dropped out of the trade and decided to just trade with the Dodgers, sending Graterol to L.A. and the Dodgers for Kenta Maeda, another pitcher, leaving just the Red Sox and Dodgers to do their own trades.  So, who is heading to Boston, well prospects Jeter Downs, Connor Wong, and Outfielder Alex Verdugo. Doesn’t that name sound familiar? Maybe because Alex Verdugo is a Sahuaro alum.

Mr. Chandler, history teacher and a former Sahuaro baseball coach, coached Alex when he arrived here at Sahuaro. He could see his talent in him, saying, “His skills were so advanced for his age,” and that if you didn’t know it was him during batting practice freshman year, you’d think he was an upperclassman. Chandler goes on to state that he’s happy about the positive attention Sahuaro and Verdugo are receiving. He thinks that Verdugo will have an “excellent opportunity to excel” in Boston, due to the crowded Dodger outfield, and he states that he’s very happy to see him in a Red Sox uniform, because Mr. Chandler is a life-long Sox fan. All of Boston and Sahuaro are rooting for you Alex!