Red Sox: The five top performers of Red Sox spring training thus far
By Jimmy Longo
There’s no other way to put it, Deven Marrero’s 2016 season was putrid. While Marrero only played in 98 games for AAA Pawtucket, the Arizona St. product couldn’t stay above the Mendoza-line, hitting .198 with an OBP of .245 and OPS of only .487.
Frankly put, if Marrero wants to contribute to any major league baseball team, let alone the Red Sox, Marrero is going to have to show and steadily show that he can hit to at least somewhat to make a ball club be interested in his plus-plus glove at shortstop. If Marrero could hit .230 even, the amount of defensive runs saved he could produce would probably make his lack of hitting seem more minuscule.
Well, coming off of last year’s performance, Marrero has come out in the early going this spring hitting like it hasn’t been a hamper to his major league track.
Through eleven games played for Marrero, the 26-year-old is 9-24 (.375 BA) with three doubles and a .900 OPS.
It also appears that the Red Sox are trying to get him as many at-bats as they can going forward in the spring, as Marrero has appeared in 11 of 12 total games for the Red Sox this spring.
Realistically, Marrero’s path to regular time in Boston is slim and none, but if he continues to have a good spring and uses that momentum to start the AAA season, he could provide some quality depth on the bench, being able to play short, second or third.