What do we actually have with Brock Holt?

[Savin Hillbilly]

Why do you think that Holt was just a throw in in the trade? From a Cafardo article from last year:
 
I really like Holt, but he's a utility player. The best position for him, if he were to start, would be second. He doesn't have the bat for the corner outfield or infield positions and he doesn't have the range or arm to play  short.

 
I think he's a utility player for the Red Sox, because Dustin Pedroia. But as a starting 2B he'd be an upgrade for more teams than not.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Isn't it crazy that Holt was a throw in to the Joel Hanrahan deal? I mean it's not any crazier than the fact that we traded a superstar closer for 7 innings of Joel Hanrahan but it's great that we got value out of someone who was considered a throw in to balance a trade like Holt was. 
 
Ever since that trade, I didn't understand why Holt wasn't really considered a prospect. Over two levels (aa and AAA) in 2012, Holt slashed .344/.406/.453/.859. He was 24 so maybe slightly old for AA but still. He showed decent on base skills and considering how he was a middle infielder... a decent enough bat overall. 
 
Brock Star's never going to hit for a ton of power, but I think he's shown enough value to be a starter. Pick a position, and Holt could probably put up a 2-3 WAR there. 

As long as Brock is good with it I don't want to find him a position. His presence gives us such tremendous value in resting everyday players without having a dreck in the lineup, allows us to balance resting a reg with advantageous matchups, and to carry an extra reliever. He can still be a regular in the lineup without having a regular defensive position.

 

[nattysez]

Seems like Brock may be crashing as he did last season. From Brian MacPherson:

Brock Holt had a .407 on-base percentage on June 23. He has a .289 on-base percentage in 130 plate appearances since.

 

[Savin Hillbilly]

Seems like Brock may be crashing as he did last season. From Brian MacPherson:

Brock Holt had a .407 on-base percentage on June 23. He has a .289 on-base percentage in 130 plate appearances since.

 
That's possible, but it's also possible that these are just normal small-sample fluctuations and he is in fact neither a .407 nor a .289 OBP hitter. His career OBP is .338. His current 2015 OBP is .364. It seems like a reasonable bet that his true talent OBP is somewhere between the two, perhaps a bit closer to the career number (say .345?). 

 

[threecy]

He's also been battling injuries this summer.

 

[rembrat]

Part of that could be he simply can't handle the workload of playing everyday.

 

[941827]

 
That's possible, but it's also possible that these are just normal small-sample fluctuations and he is in fact neither a .407 nor a .289 OBP hitter. His career OBP is .338. His current 2015 OBP is .364. It seems like a reasonable bet that his true talent OBP is somewhere between the two, perhaps a bit closer to the career number (say .345?). 

 
Well, he's well on his way to getting to his career average.  He's now at .351 after going 0-4 (no BB) in each of his last three games.

 

[Plympton91]

Part of that could be he simply can't handle the workload of playing everyday.

This. But also the small sample point is right on.

 

[EricFeczko]

This. But also the small sample point is right on.

BABIP driven guys are extremely hard to project. Holt has maintained a 350+ BABIP over 700 PA (340 over 900 PA). 900 PA is not sufficient to predict BABIP.

Then again, Derek "Captain Intagibles" Jeter basically did that for his entire career (350 BABIP over 12,000 PA).
 

 

[DJnVa]

More worrying to me is that before the completely arbitrary ASB cutoff, he had 1 BB for every 1.8 Ks. Since the ASB he's K'ed 13 times and walked once.