Here's how Rob Refsnyder helped Red Sox teammate Romy Gonzalez become one of the most lethal platoon hitters in baseball
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Now in his second year with the Red Sox, Gonzalez has become one of the game's most dangerous righthanded platoon hitters. On the season, he's hitting .403 with a 1.199 OPS in 68 at-bats at bats against lefties — the fourth-best mark in the league — compared with a .250 average and .629 OPS in 64 at-bats against righties.
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With the Red Sox facing lefthanded starters in four straight games late last week and early this week, Gonzalez started each time and collected 10 hits, including a 454-foot home run on Monday. On Tuesday, he added two singles and a triple to help fuel
'It's just being confident. That's 90 percent of it,' Gonzalez said. 'It's crazy [what happens] when you're in the box and you're just thinking positive, and you're convicted in your approach. Rob helped me tremendously with that . . . he's been such a huge help to me, I don't even have the [words] to describe it.'
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Refsnyder also started all four games against lefty starters and hit safely in each, pushing his season average against lefthanders to .296 with a .944 OPS.
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The duo's prowess in platoon roles has been a major driver of the Sox' .798 OPS against lefthanded pitching, the second-best mark in the league.
'I was joking with Ref, that [he and Romy] could go find a spot tomorrow, hang out, and then show up for the Rays series,' manager Alex Cora said, since the Sox face a righthanded starter on Wednesday. 'They played a lot. And the conditions weren't great . . . but they'll always prepare.'
Refsnyder, six years older than Gonzalez, understands the challenge of embracing and adapting to a platoon role. He went through his own career inflection point with the Blue Jays in 2017, and cites then-teammate Steve Pearce — later the 2018 World Series MVP with the Red Sox — as helping him develop the necessary mind-set, something he's watched Gonzalez learn over the past two years.
'Everyone wants to be an everyday player, they envision themselves as an everyday player. And then a lot of guys, though, when they get to the big leagues and get their first taste of it, they're not doing that,' Refsnyder said. 'So I think [Gonzalez] was getting used to that role, or just trying to learn that role. And I've been doing it my whole career.'
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Gonzalez's breakout arrived in his first season in Boston, when he posted an .879 OPS against lefties and a .944 OPS as a pinch hitter. While Refsnyder gave him physical preparation tips, his biggest influence was mental — specifically, how to ride emotions when at-bats may not come for days at a time.
'When I was younger, I was always trying to chase hits and try to get hits to play the next day,' said Refsnyder. 'And I think Romy realized early on that if you're trying to do that, it's pretty volatile. You'll have a lot of ups and downs. So [learning] that was the biggest thing I saw last year for him.'
Rob Refsnyder has embraced his role of playing against lefthanded pitchers.
Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
The two grew even closer this past spring training when they were roommates. And because Gonzalez and Refsnyder often play — and sit — on similar days, they can continue to bounce ideas off each other and train side by side.
'I think it's just more so the mental side of our role and what we bring to the table,' Gonzalez said of how Refsnyder helped him. 'I can lean on him with whatever, whether it be baseball-related, personal stuff. He's such a close friend of mine and he always has my best interest.'
As both players continue to excel in their roles as lefty crushers, Refsnyder envisions a long career for Gonzalez — with perhaps an even higher ceiling in his future.
'I'm really excited for when I'm done playing, just to watch where his career goes,' Refsnyder said. 'Because he's a special player and he can do some amazing things.'
Matty Wasserman can be reached at
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