Apr 1, 2015; Fort Myers, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman
Jemile Weeks(30) throws over to first base during the fifth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at JetBlue Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
The Red Sox have some baseball filler at Pawtucket. A filler is a player that simply Fills out the roster and they exist at all levels, but Triple-A is the most visible venue for a filler.
A filler has three distinct groupings with (1) being a player with extended service time in the minors and no MLB experience. (2) Extended service time in the minors and some limited MLB experience and (3) is a veteran player with significant MLB service time. Option three is usually a player who is given a bonus or special contractual initiatives to task in Triple-A.
Triple-A is or can be rather comfortable for a player. The compensation is decent, the travel conditions better, the rooms nicer and the meal money a bit more attractive. A player can hang around for years and play the game with the hope of getting some more or any MLB service time.
Jeff Bailey is a filler hero for me. Three partial years in Boston after ten seasons and numerous organizations. Bailey’s stat line is nothing special with a slash of .228/.340/.434 and six home runs and 16 RBI. But Bailey could really light it up in the minors with several All-Star teams, an MVP and 191 home runs.
So who are the fillers for 2015 and how are they doing?