The weather outside might be frightful, at least for the Northeast, but we here at BoSoxInjection are keeping warm by looking ahead to the 2015 season. We’ve been working our way thought the prospective 25-man roster and now we’ve come to Daniel Nava, who made a splash on June 12, 2010 when his first big-league at bat resulted in a grand slam. But that was then and this is now. What will this season bring for Nava?
2014 recap:
He played most of the season up in Boston with only 24 games down in Pawtucket. For the Red Sox he batted .270 with .346 OPS and .361 Slugging. He knocked in 37 RBI with only four home runs. On the defensive side of things, he had three errors in the outfield resulting in a .987 fielding percentage. A notable Nava stat is that he had the fourth most right field assists in the AL. He was on the fast track to starting job in the outfield until he got injured.
2015:
This is it for Nava. The switch hitting lefty from California will be 32 when the season starts. While he’s far from over the hill, he’s no spring chicken. He may be running out of chances to prove his worth to the team. Will he find himself playing the roll of versatile fourth outfielder or will he be the odd man out? The key for Nava will be consistency and health. Defensive skill will be important for the Sox with the potentially weak starting rotation on the mound.
The outfield picture for 2015 is a complicated one and Nava will have to fight to find his place in it. Spring Training may be Nava’s time in the crucible.