Red Sox: Brock Holt appears to be the missing piece
By Gary Jackson
The Boston Red Sox have missed utility man Brock Holt for much of the season. How much does the absence of his versatility affect the team?
Brock Holt is currently viewed as a “super utility” player for the Boston Red Sox, the type of player who would need to check the lineup card every day before walking down the tunnel onto the field/dugout. You don’t really know the value of these type of “super utility” position players until they are out for a significant amount of time.
The picture that has been created due to Holt’s absence, sidelined with Vertigo since early this season, is that he isn’t essentially a “utility” type guy. He is a KEY component for the Red Sox.
Every team goes through injuries throughout the season, some more significant than others, but regardless of the severity, they are going to happen. So looking at a player in Holt, he would seem more valuable than a position player making $10-15 million a year than some may think. The 2017 Boston Red Sox have been desperately searching for an answer at third base, as for the time being their $95 million man in Pablo Sandoval is not performing.
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Rotating platoon players such as Josh Rutledge and Deven Marrero can only go but so far. One may be a better hitter than the other, while one gloves just about everything hit down his way.
The answer to the current roster problem screams Brock Holt, a lifetime .270 hitter, who you would think could be the everyday third baseman they CLEARLY need.
Holt needs to come back to play third base. Or the other clear option would be that Sandoval would start earning his contract. This being the best case scenario for the Red Sox, as it would allow Holt to return to his super utility role, playing 7 of the 9 positions, other than pitcher and catcher. With the ups and downs the Red Sox rotation has had so far in the first half of the 2017 season, I wonder what kind of curveball or fastball Holt has reserved in the tank.
Regardless of who fills third base, and if Brock Holt plays 7 positions in 7 days, the Red Sox need him back in the worst way, and hopefully that time will come soon enough.