The Red Sox were struck with some unfortunate situations at third base this season. After Will Middlebrooks was ineffective for the early part of the season, the Red Sox had to scramble to find adequate third base replacements in their organization. They used Jose Iglesias, who was moved to shortstop during a stint on the DL by starting shortstop Stephen Drew, before he was traded and then formed a subpar platoon of Brock Holt and Brandon Snyder.
July 5, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Brandon Snyder (23) throws to first to complete an out during the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
While this platoon did not provide great production– the opposite, in actual fact, as Holt slashed just .203/.275/.237 in 26 games and Snyder slashed .180/.212/.360 in 27 games– it was good that they were there at all so that the Red Sox did not have to dip into their prospect stores for a third baseman. Snyder, particularly, was useful when used in the right situations as he never actually got a hit in 19 plate appearances against righties, while he slashed a respectable .273/.273/.545 against southpaws.
Yesterday, the Red Sox signed Brandon Snyder to a minor league deal. While relying on a player like Snyder is never the right move, he can provide a useful service. A bench bat who can hit lefties and has some pop is a useful thing, and while Snyder will hopefully not see much of the majors in 2014, at least we can count on his prowess in that role, however limited it is.