Brock Holt: Look! Something Shiny!

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

With Drew coming on board, I'm hoping the plan is to jettison Herrera and keep Brock Holt, as the Sox now have plenty of back up at shortstop, and Holt can handle 2B, not to mention the 1200 chances at short Holt has had in the minors. It's interesting that he's only got 11 games and 28 chances at 3B in the minors, but that's where he's been pegged. Am I the only one who thought he wasn't a shortstop, judging by the way he's been used?
 
Because Holt looks like a handy player. After today's game, he sits at 322/375/423 - which isn't great power-wise for a third baseman, but shows good OBP and his gap power seems established, which makes him a damn good all around backup infielder. 
 
Also, he's still young - turning 26 in June - and has a lifetime minors OBP of .372. Looks like he had a rough time of it in his first full year of AAA last year in Pawtucket, but he's a 9th round pick, and put up a big year between Altoona and Indy in 2012. 
 
Without WMB's power, isn't this kid a better prospect to stick around in the majors? What's wrong with Brock that he's not better regarded? Is it mostly his fairly bad 2013 in Pawtucket? His below mediocre cup of coffee last year in Boston? 
 
He seems like a nice potential player, the kind of guy the Cardinals could make into a star. 
 
 

 

[nvalvo]

I don't think he has a long enough MLB sample to have any kind of meaningful stats, but just anecdotally, he looks like a very bad defender to me. He backs up on a lot of balls out of what looks like indecision, and I've noticed some erratic throws.
 
(I checked the stats, and they are abysmal in a tiny sample: from 45 balls in zone, he's recorded 27 outs. Brutal.)
 
If he could actually put up a dependable .360+ OBP, that makes up for some of that, however. 

 

[radsoxfan]

I've noticed at 3rd in particular, Holt is terrible at judging ground balls.  He almost always ends up being forced to make a tough all-or-nothing stab at an in-between hop. Sometimes that's unavoidable, but sometimes it's Brock either charging too hard or not charging hard enough, and turning relatively routine grounder into a really tough play. Hopefully with more reps over there, he gets a little better at that.
 
I don't know about the Cardinals being able to turn him into a star, but he does seem like a much better utility IF than Herrera with Drew back on board.  Xander and Drew give enough SS overlap that you don't need your utility IF to play short, and that was Herrera's only real advantage over Holt.
 
I doubt his current line major league line holds up all year, but I think he would be a very solid 25th man on the roster.  I wonder if it actually ends up coming down to Brock's OBP vs. Middlebrooks' power and potential when/if Will ever gets healthy. I suppose Carp could be the odd man out at that point as well if he doesn't start hitting. 

 

[vadertime]

I think we have exactly what we've seen so far.  A capable major league utility infielder that can fill in as a starter for a week or two to cover a DL stint, but becomes overexposed when asked to do more than that.  He'll in in the .260-.280 range with handful of home runs with a dozen or so SB.  Not great defensively but passable.

 

[Hee Sox Choi]

I think Vadertime is right.  Here is John Sickels' last scouting report for him:
 
Lacks tools, but knows how to play and persistently exceeds expectations of scouts. Solid glove at second, good-enough at shortstop for utility work, should hit for average.
 
This from October:
Drafted in the ninth round by the Pirates out of Rice in 2009, Holt is a line drive hitter but didn’t show much pop this year, hitting .258/.327/.309 in 83 games in Triple-A and .203/.275/.237 in 26 games in the majors. He was much more effective in 2012, hitting .344 between Double-A and Triple-A. His true level of ability likely lies in between those two extremes, making the 25 year old a potential bench asset.

 

[IdiotKicker]

I don't know if it's just because of how he looks, but even looking at him statistically, he does seem to be very reminiscent of Jeff Frye, with maybe slightly less contact:
 
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/fryeje01.shtml
 
Probably looking at a guy who can work well as a utility guy for a contending team, fill in for a 3-6 week stretch if necessary, but isn't someone who you want to rely on for long periods of time if you want to contend for a title.

 

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

I've noticed at 3rd in particular, Holt is terrible at judging ground balls.  He almost always ends up being forced to make a tough all-or-nothing stab at an in-between hop. Sometimes that's unavoidable, but sometimes it's Brock either charging too hard or not charging hard enough, and turning relatively routine grounder into a really tough play. Hopefully with more reps over there, he gets a little better at that.
 
I don't know about the Cardinals being able to turn him into a star, but he does seem like a much better utility IF than Herrera with Drew back on board.  Xander and Drew give enough SS overlap that you don't need your utility IF to play short, and that was Herrera's only real advantage over Holt.

 
See, I think you're in the same place I was. I thought he was a third baseman coming up, so I was surprised at how poorly he fielded that position (Dave O'Brien's opinion, notwithstanding - he puts him ahead of WMB). But he's played almost none in the minors and all his reps have been at short, where you have a ton more reaction time. Why hasn't he been an option to play short? Is he just a shitty SS? Why didn't they move him out of there in the minors if so? 

 

[Byrdbrain]

I believe the consensus is he can play short in a pinch but he isn't very good at it.
Herrera is supposed to be a better glove guy and a better shortstop so it made sense to keep him earlier in the year when he would be the backup shortstop. With Drew back that need goes away and Holt makes more sense to keep.
 
The thing is Holt has options and Herrera doesn't so is the upgrade worth potentially losing a player? I think so but we'll see if the Red Sox do.

 

[Chief Wahoo]

 
The thing is Holt has options and Herrera doesn't so is the upgrade worth potentially losing a player? I think so but we'll see if the Red Sox do.

 
Per soxprospects Herrera has 2 options left so that shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

I believe the consensus is he can play short in a pinch but he isn't very good at it.
Herrera is supposed to be a better glove guy and a better shortstop so it made sense to keep him earlier in the year when he would be the backup shortstop. With Drew back that need goes away and Holt makes more sense to keep.
 
The thing is Holt has options and Herrera doesn't so is the upgrade worth potentially losing a player? I think so but we'll see if the Red Sox do.

 
Herrera has options.  They wouldn't have to lose anyone to keep Holt as the UI when Drew is ready.  Herrera's glove at SS is the primary reason he made the roster ahead of Holt in the first place.

 

[CaptainLaddie]

I don't know if it's just because of how he looks, but even looking at him statistically, he does seem to be very reminiscent of Jeff Frye, with maybe slightly less contact:
 
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/fryeje01.shtml
 
Probably looking at a guy who can work well as a utility guy for a contending team, fill in for a 3-6 week stretch if necessary, but isn't someone who you want to rely on for long periods of time if you want to contend for a title.

 

If he ends up having a Jeff Frye career, with a few seasons where his OBP is over .370, I'd be THRILLED.

 

[Byrdbrain]

Interesting, I saw he was called up in 08 and was thinking he was out of them. 
Guess not.

 

[Saints Rest]

Seems like the IF version of Daniel Nava ca 2011: late bloomer, not much hype, average fielder, some positional flexibility, good eye yielding a strong OBP with limited pop.

 

[IdiotKicker]

 
If he ends up having a Jeff Frye career, with a few seasons where his OBP is over .370, I'd be THRILLED.

 
I was originally going to say that Frye is probably the top end for him, but digging through his contact rates, that might actually not be a bad projection of a guy who puts up an OPS in the .730-.750 range.  Take a look at his plate discipline numbers compared to one Dustin Pedroia:
 
http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=9345&position=2B/3B#platediscipline
http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=8370&position=2B#platediscipline
 
SSS caveat, and I don't think he's going to turn into Pedroia by any means since the power isn't there, but I think OBP-wise, he could be a .350-.370 guy actually.  The problem is that he doesn't appear to have the power for a corner IF position, and we don't really have a need for a 2B or SS at this point.  He's almost like the Daniel Nava of the infield.  The bat isn't quite good enough to warrant giving him a position outright, but you want to keep him on your team because he's a very useful guy to have.
 
Edit: And Saints Rest beat me to the Nava comparison.

 

[threecy]

Seems like the IF version of Daniel Nava ca 2011: late bloomer, not much hype, average fielder, some positional flexibility, good eye yielding a strong OBP with limited pop.

Holt is only 25 (26 next month...roughly the same age as WMB), whereas Nava was 30 during his first full MLB season.

 

[RedOctober3829]

When WMB comes back I think there's a hard decision to make between him and Holt. I'd have to strongly consider sending WMB down at this point.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

What would we do with Stephen Drew? 

 

[BosRedSox5]

Holt's always been a decent enough hitter, but it seems to be that no organization really had much of a plan for him in their organization. He's played more shortstop in the minors than anything else, and I'm not sure why that would be. He's not a great defensive player there, so while his bat carries at 3B and maybe SS or 2B his glove doesn't do enough. I would think if you had a guy like Holt who wasn't quite good enough as a hitter to claim a job that you'd groom them as a super sub. Put them in the OF, teach them 1B. 
 
Maybe the thought was that he'll eventually make a step up defensively or something, but that doesn't seem to have happened. 

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

Holt's always been a decent enough hitter, but it seems to be that no organization really had much of a plan for him in their organization. He's played more shortstop in the minors than anything else, and I'm not sure why that would be. He's not a great defensive player there, so while his bat carries at 3B and maybe SS or 2B his glove doesn't do enough. I would think if you had a guy like Holt who wasn't quite good enough as a hitter to claim a job that you'd groom them as a super sub. Put them in the OF, teach them 1B. 
 
Maybe the thought was that he'll eventually make a step up defensively or something, but that doesn't seem to have happened. 

 
He's probably played more SS than anything else because that was his position when he was drafted by the Pirates, and the position at which his various minor league teams needed him to play.  Just looking at his time in Pawtucket last year, he played 32 games at short and 44 games at second (and 7 at 3B).  Most of those games at short were early in the year when Iglesias was starting in Boston, then later when Iglesias was recalled to play 3B for the big club.  When Iglesias was optioned down and then when Xander was brought up from Portland, he mostly played 2B (or was in Boston himself).
 
He plays short because he can handle it well enough (in the minors anyway), but is easily and quickly pushed aside when a better shortstop is available.

 

[Drek717]

 

Holt's always been a decent enough hitter, but it seems to be that no organization really had much of a plan for him in their organization. He's played more shortstop in the minors than anything else, and I'm not sure why that would be. He's not a great defensive player there, so while his bat carries at 3B and maybe SS or 2B his glove doesn't do enough. I would think if you had a guy like Holt who wasn't quite good enough as a hitter to claim a job that you'd groom them as a super sub. Put them in the OF, teach them 1B. 
 
Maybe the thought was that he'll eventually make a step up defensively or something, but that doesn't seem to have happened. 

He's really just now getting to the age where super sub becomes an option though.  Up until this point he's always been the best option at his mL level for one of the three IF positions he plays.
 
I think you're right in that he does seem like the guy who should be groomed into that role though.  Really, his mL numbers compare pretty favorably with Ben Zobrist.  Holt started his mL career two years younger and got his first ML cup of coffee a year sooner, but both had strong mL offensive numbers built largely off a >.300 BA and OBP flirting with or above .400.  While Zobrist saw the expected mL > ML BA and OBP drops his SLG jumped thanks to a Kevin Youkilis-esque power emergence.  Even if that hadn't happened though he'd still have been valuable super-sub for the Rays these last several years.  Holt could be a similar guy to what Tampa Bay expected Zobrist to be.  A .275/.375 BA/OBP guy who can be an acceptable fill in at seven of the nine positions, picking up spot starts all over the map.  That's a much more realistic way for the Sox to develop their own Zobrist type than trying to shoehorn a high end prospect like Betts with real defensive value into the role.
 
Developing him down that path will also minimize the impact of him not really having a good home defensively (except maybe 2B).  Maybe he isn't quite good enough to be a full time 3B defensively, but if he only sees one game a week there the likelihood of him being exposed is pretty small.

 
 

When WMB comes back I think there's a hard decision to make between him and Holt. I'd have to strongly consider sending WMB down at this point.

They'll have to.  Middlebrooks' approach at the plate doesn't strike me as the kind that works well jumping into games straight off a DL stint or only playing once a week.  He's a streaky hitter who needs to have his timing just right and his mental approach in the right place to be successful.  The plus side is that he's shown the ability to translate a AAA hot streak into immediate ML production (both when called up in 2012 and when brought back up last year).  So to me the best use for Middlebrooks upon his return is to try getting into a groove in AAA for a few weeks or a month and then when the team needs someone at any IF position or DH he steps in and hopefully gives us a big couple of weeks.

 

[BosRedSox5]

 
 

He's really just now getting to the age where super sub becomes an option though.  Up until this point he's always been the best option at his mL level for one of the three IF positions he plays.
 
I think you're right in that he does seem like the guy who should be groomed into that role though.  Really, his mL numbers compare pretty favorably with Ben Zobrist.  Holt started his mL career two years younger and got his first ML cup of coffee a year sooner, but both had strong mL offensive numbers built largely off a >.300 BA and OBP flirting with or above .400.  While Zobrist saw the expected mL > ML BA and OBP drops his SLG jumped thanks to a Kevin Youkilis-esque power emergence.  Even if that hadn't happened though he'd still have been valuable super-sub for the Rays these last several years.  Holt could be a similar guy to what Tampa Bay expected Zobrist to be.  A .275/.375 BA/OBP guy who can be an acceptable fill in at seven of the nine positions, picking up spot starts all over the map.  That's a much more realistic way for the Sox to develop their own Zobrist type than trying to shoehorn a high end prospect like Betts with real defensive value into the role.
 

 
If Holt became a poor man's Ben Zobrist I would be so happy. Your post makes a lot of sense, and if this is the time when we should be grooming Holt for the role of supersub, isn't there a good case for sending him down when Drew is warmed up? I'd rather have Holt patrolling CF in Pawtucket. The Sox have a glut of 1B, so there's no real need to try Holt there, but it might be worth a shot to give Holt a month or so in the outfield and really develop him as a supersub type. 

 

[TheoShmeo]

I was coming here to ask whether he, like Mookie Betts in a sense, could be sent out to the OF to see if he could be passable out there.  It's hard to imagine him being worse than Youks or Carp, not that they are the standard. 
 
Regardless of that, he seems more valuable than Herrera and after 500 or so at bats of Middlebrooks hitting just near the Mendoza line, swinging and missing a lot and appearing to have a hole in his swing, I'd prefer to see more of Holt when Will is ready.

 

[Drek717]

 
If Holt became a poor man's Ben Zobrist I would be so happy. Your post makes a lot of sense, and if this is the time when we should be grooming Holt for the role of supersub, isn't there a good case for sending him down when Drew is warmed up? I'd rather have Holt patrolling CF in Pawtucket. The Sox have a glut of 1B, so there's no real need to try Holt there, but it might be worth a shot to give Holt a month or so in the outfield and really develop him as a supersub type. 

I'm not sure if they even really need to send him down to do it.  I mean, Kevin Youkilis isn't exactly a ninja and he picked up OF at the ML level on the fly.  Did he play it well?  No, but well enough for the Red Sox to keep letting him do it.
 
I think once Drew is up and Holt becomes a backup you spend the first two or three weeks of that reduced workload with him logging a bunch of BP time in the OF shagging flies.  Then start him out in LF and RF to gauge his range during actual games before considering if he's shown enough to get a stab at center.  His strong OBP skills make him too valuable vs. Herrera to keep the latter when Drew is ready.  Holt can work at OF during the multiple off-days he'll see each week.  Once the coaches feel he's ready for some live game action his 1-3 games per week schedule can expand up to 2-4 games a week by taking time in the OF.

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

I'm not sure if they even really need to send him down to do it.  I mean, Kevin Youkilis isn't exactly a ninja and he picked up OF at the ML level on the fly.  Did he play it well?  No, but well enough for the Red Sox to keep letting him do it.
 
I think once Drew is up and Holt becomes a backup you spend the first two or three weeks of that reduced workload with him logging a bunch of BP time in the OF shagging flies.  Then start him out in LF and RF to gauge his range during actual games before considering if he's shown enough to get a stab at center.  His strong OBP skills make him too valuable vs. Herrera to keep the latter when Drew is ready.  Holt can work at OF during the multiple off-days he'll see each week.  Once the coaches feel he's ready for some live game action his 1-3 games per week schedule can expand up to 2-4 games a week by taking time in the OF.

 
Here's the thing with having him do it "on the fly" at the big league level...who is Drew ultimately replacing on the roster?  If it's Herrera, then Holt would be the primary back up at all three infield positions and having him "learn" to play the outfield while also remaining sharp enough to be effective around the infield *might* be asking too much of him, especially since there are already at least five guys on the roster with outfield experience (even if it is the cringe-inducing experience of Carp).  If Drew replaces, say Carp (with him going to the DL for his foot), then I could see the value of having Holt getting time to learn the outfield at the big league level as he'd be the defacto fifth outfielder and sixth infielder.  He really wouldn't be needed to cover any one position with regularity but would have/gain the flexibility to cover for just about anyone they need him to replace.

 

[joe dokes]

Holt's always been a decent enough hitter, but it seems to be that no organization really had much of a plan for him in their organization. He's played more shortstop in the minors than anything else, and I'm not sure why that would be. He's not a great defensive player there, so while his bat carries at 3B and maybe SS or 2B his glove doesn't do enough. I would think if you had a guy like Holt who wasn't quite good enough as a hitter to claim a job that you'd groom them as a super sub. Put them in the OF, teach them 1B. 
 
Maybe the thought was that he'll eventually make a step up defensively or something, but that doesn't seem to have happened. 

 
This is the sort of stuff that fascinates me about player development. Decent enough hitter to stick around in an organization (even as trade fodder for someone else's org. depth).  Not quite good enough to be seen as the future at any particular position; just adequate enough to be plugged in wherever the particular minor league team needs a guy because some positions are locked down by "future" guys. Not old enough to completely discarded.
 
His comp is almost as much Gomes-5-years-ago as it is Nava.
 
Regardless...it's great to watch.

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

It's kinda funny.  I always thought Holt had the potential to have the bigger long term impact of the two players acquired in the Hanrahan deal.  He struck me as an ideal utility bat when he was acquired.  He demonstrated good on base abilities at every level even if he didn't necessarily profile full time at any one position.  The off year he went through last year seemed to sour some on him, but what we're seeing now is exactly what I expected to get out of him...solid fill in performance, but not so great that he locks himself into a position for good.

 

[The Gray Eagle]

Holt is a solid defensive secondbaseman and he can cover SS and third on occasion. Very handy utility IF. But there's not much point in having him be a lousy LF. We've already got Nava, Carp and Sizemore as LHH LFs. As a short guy who isn't that fast and whose arm is nothing great as an IF, I really really doubt he would be able to cover RF in Fenway, much less CF.
 
Sure it would be good if he could learn to cover LF in an emergency but he'd be way down the depth chart and it would take several injuries before he would even be the second backup in LF. Carp and Youkilis played LF to find ways to keep their bats in the lineup, but Holt hits like a backup 2B-- solid on-base skills but no power. We don't need to move him to OF to find a way to keep his career 84 OPS+ in the lineup. I don't see him as a guy who is likely to produce much power either. He's very generously listed at 5'10, while Zobrist and Youkilis are 6'3" and 6'1" and seem much stronger, and were more likely to develop that power. Holt can maybe develop some doubles power (especially at Fenway using the wall) but he's unlikely to ever hit many HRs at any level.
 
Holt is a very useful guy to have around, but I think we'd all be better off if he spent a lot more time working on his defense at third and SS rather than trying to learn the outfield. He's only played 11 games at third in his minor league career, and he needs work there. He seems like he's got good hands, but already has 4 errors in 176 innings at third this year. I don't think he's really comfortable there yet and the more experience he gets there the better. 
 
Sure when he's down in AAA again let him learn to cover LF in case of a severe emergency but he can help us much more in the infield, and he has work to do there. 
 
He had a great at-bat last night against Kimbrel and is riding a nice hot streak, he's really been a big help so far. BROCK HOLT!
He's a very useful utility IF, not a Zobrist type IMO though.

 

[Mighty Joe Young]

When Drew is brought up Herrera goes down - backup SS seems to be the only real deficiency in Holt's game - and they won't need one with Drew and X on the roster.
 
I think we'll get an inkling as to his future when WMB start's his rehab in Pawtucket .. if he starts getting reps at 2B - and is reasonably successful - and shows signs of getting his offensive game back - then Holt better resign himself to a summer in AAA. 

 

[Coachster]

When Drew is activated, who is going to be the lead-off hitter? The biggest hole that Holt has filled is there; a fairly high OBP guy with some speed. We don't have anybody else. It's probably the reason we're all wondering how his outfield skills will pan out; it's nice having him at the top of the lineup.

 

[nvalvo]

When Drew is activated, who is going to be the lead-off hitter? The biggest hole that Holt has filled is there; a fairly high OBP guy with some speed. We don't have anybody else. It's probably the reason we're all wondering how his outfield skills will pan out; it's nice having him at the top of the lineup.

 
Another troubling lineup consideration is how left-handed the team is getting with the injuries to WMB, Victorino, and Napoli — not that replacing Holt with Drew changes that. 
 
I've been playing around with lineups, and it's hard not to end up with clumps of consecutive lefties, especially in games started by AJP. Bogaerts, Pedroia and Gomes are the only primarily RHH players healthy (i.e. I'm excluding Nava, because he's bad hitting from the right side). I guess Alex Hassan was just called up, but he's been scuffling brutally in his third season in Pawtucket. 
 
An example lineup:
 
Bogaerts
Drew
Pedroia
Ortiz
Carp
Gomes
Sizemore
AJP
Bradley
 
That lineup has runs of three and two consecutive lefties. I've made a few different ones, and it's hard to do much better. Napoli is really important to our lineup construction. He can't get back soon enough. 

 

[Reverend]

 
Another troubling lineup consideration is how left-handed the team is getting with the injuries to WMB, Victorino, and Napoli — not that replacing Holt with Drew changes that. 
 
I've been playing around with lineups, and it's hard not to end up with clumps of consecutive lefties, especially in games started by AJP. Bogaerts, Pedroia and Gomes are the only primarily RHH players healthy (i.e. I'm excluding Nava, because he's bad hitting from the right side). I guess Alex Hassan was just called up, but he's been scuffling brutally in his third season in Pawtucket. 
 
An example lineup:
 
Bogaerts
Drew
Pedroia
Ortiz
Carp
Gomes
Sizemore
AJP
Bradley
 
That lineup has runs of three and two consecutive lefties. I've made a few different ones, and it's hard to do much better. Napoli is really important to our lineup construction. He can't get back soon enough. 

 
I vote that Ortiz just keep mashing lefties this year as he has been to date. 
 
.290/.395/.581/.975 v LHP this year. I mean Jesus. It's like he's developed so much as a player that he's like those frogs who change their sex based on what's needed by the group.

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

https://twitter.com/brianmacp/status/472836646761930753

 

[HriniakPosterChild]

https://twitter.com/brianmacp/status/472836646761930753

 
I wonder if Jonathan Herrera follows brianmacp on Twitter.
 
Looks like Holt's the better bet to stay in Boston.

 

[Super Nomario]

 
 
I wonder if Jonathan Herrera follows brianmacp on Twitter.
 
Looks like Holt's the better bet to stay in Boston.
 

It could also mean they're thinking about sending down an OF instead of an IF.

 

[bosockboy]

When Napoli is ready, Holt looks like a more valuable piece than Carp.....since Nava can play 1B.

 

[Plympton91]

When Napoli is ready, Holt looks like a more valuable piece than Carp.....since Nava can play 1B.

 
Having failed to bat 1.000 in his recall, Nava was optioned to Pawtucket to make room for De La Rosa.  Looks like Wilson goes down to make room for Drew, and both Holt and Herrera stay up for the time being.

 

[Dogman]

 
Having failed to bat 1.000 in his recall, Nava was optioned to Pawtucket to make room for De La Rosa.  Looks like Wilson goes down to make room for Drew, and both Holt and Herrera stay up for the time being.

 
 
I too think this should happen especially if Dustin's hand continues to bother him longer than a few days.

 

[Dogman]

Looks like Wilson was optioned and Cecchini was brought up.

 

[kieckeredinthehead]

 
Having failed to bat 1.000 in his recall, Nava was optioned to Pawtucket to make room for De La Rosa.  Looks like Wilson goes down to make room for Drew, and both Holt and Herrera stay up for the time being.

Yes, .000 is a long way from 1.000.

 

[Plympton91]

Yes, .000 is a long way from 1.000.

And Grady Sizemore just "earned" a big bonus for his "contributions" over the first third of the season. His OPS is still sub 675 despite his "triple" that BJ Upton dropped and "double" on a popup that fell one foot fair earlier this week.

 

[Rasputin]

And Grady Sizemore just "earned" a big bonus for his "contributions" over the first third of the season. His OPS is still sub 675 despite his "triple" that BJ Upton dropped and "double" on a popup that fell one foot fair earlier this week.

 
Yes, Grady Sizemore has disappointed in almost every way imaginable. Why, he's only out OPSing Daniel Nava by almost 200 points!

 

[Soxfan in Fla]

Yes, Grady Sizemore has disappointed in almost every way imaginable. Why, he's only out OPSing Daniel Nava by almost 200 points!

What does that have to do with anything. Grady is playing corner OF because his CF defense is subpar. An OPS under .675 for a corner OF sucks, regardless of the fact that he's 200 points higher than Nava, whose OPS is downright pathetic right now.

 

[Drek717]

What does that have to do with anything. Grady is playing corner OF because his CF defense is subpar. An OPS under .675 for a corner OF sucks, regardless of the fact that he's 200 points higher than Nava, whose OPS is downright pathetic right now.

Well, he's hitting better than every active corner OF other than Gomes and  I'm pretty sure none of us want to see Gomes in RF.  So until Victorino is healthy Sizemore is "earning" his money simply based on his ability to play right field, which no one else can do (except maybe Alex Hassan).

 

[WenZink]

 
Having failed to bat 1.000 in his recall, Nava was optioned to Pawtucket to make room for De La Rosa.  Looks like Wilson goes down to make room for Drew, and both Holt and Herrera stay up for the time being.

 
How many PA's would Nava had gotten if he stayed in Boston, now that Gomes is the "everyday" left fielder?  With the LF platoon dead, for the moment, he'd have been the emergency OF/1B.  Hassan gets the role until Napoli returns, a week from today - hopefully.  Victorino is also eligible to come off the DL i a week, but it sounds like he'll need longer to recover.  At least Nava will get some swings in AAA to make his case.

 

[Toe Nash]

Yeah, Nava got all of one complete game while he was up, was pulled in another start, and just had PH appearances beyond that. I don't think you can tell anything from that. I don't know if Sizemore is a significantly better choice but he can't be optioned, so thems the breaks. It's not like anyone is forcing Sizemore to be released. And I'm still a Nava believer.
 
I would prefer he get regular PT in Pawtucket and hope he can regain his form than sit on the bench. Gomes is still hitting at replacement level against RHP and I'm sure the team knows that, no matter how much "energy" Gomes brings, the best team is with someone else getting most the starts against RHP.

 

[bosockboy]

So, ummmm.....he can't sit now. I guess he takes 1b until Napoli is back.

What a boost he has given.

 

[pdaj]

I love the kid's ability to hit to the opposite field. Was Holt a relatively "all fields" hitter in Pawtucket?

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

So, ummmm.....he can't sit now. I guess he takes 1b until Napoli is back.

What a boost he has given.

 
Definitely has to be the primary 1B until Napoli gets back, and if he's still hot when that happens, I'd strongly consider trying him in RF until Victorino returns.  If not that, then Drew better come out of the gate swinging a good bat or he may be the guy who has loses playing time to keep Holt in the lineup.

 

[Al Zarilla]

 
Definitely has to be the primary 1B until Napoli gets back, and if he's still hot when that happens, I'd strongly consider trying him in RF until Victorino returns.  If not that, then Drew better come out of the gate swinging a good bat or he may be the guy who has loses playing time to keep Holt in the lineup.

Right field where Vic, Drew the elder, Trot, Dewey and Jackie Jensen patrolled and you stick a little to no experience OFer there?
 
Oh ,and Al Zarilla.   

 

[glasspusher]

 
I vote that Ortiz just keep mashing lefties this year as he has been to date. 
 
.290/.395/.581/.975 v LHP this year. I mean Jesus. It's like he's developed so much as a player that he's like those frogs who change their sex based on what's needed by the group.

 
Hilarious. I did greatly enjoy him mashing David Price in the playoffs last year, and that first pitch (95 mph, IIRC) from Siegrist in WS Game 1 into the right field bleachers was epic.