Red Sox utility-man Brock Holt has played a key role this season
The Boston Red Sox’s super utility man, Brock Holt, has played a big role in helping the team this year, which conclude with yet another World Series.
The Boston Red Sox have reached the World Series for the fourth time in the last fifteen seasons. The Sox eliminated last year’s world champions, the Houston Astros, emphatically winning the ALCS 3-1.
The trip to the Fall Classic has been made possible by the whole of the Red Sox roster, which has come together and worked tremendously well as a team this year. One of the players who has played a bigger role than expected by many is Brock Holt.
The 2015 All-Star, who is a glue guy in the Red Sox clubhouse, has surprised many critics by having a very useful year. With the unfortunate injury to team leader, Dustin Pedroia, the Red Sox have had to deal with a hole at the second base spot. Holt, well-known for his abilities to play just about any fielding position, has helped fill the void within the infield.
Holt produced 46 RBI’s for Boston in the regular season, which is a career-high in that category. He appeared in 109 games, mostly in a platoon with Eduardo Nunez and Ian Kinsler at second base. He also provided back up for star shortstop Xander Bogaerts. He provided an outstanding Red Sox team with not only his ability to hit, averaging .277 over the course of the season, and a great fielding ability, but also with depth everywhere on the field. His abilities made him an important asset, also filling in at first base, third base, left field, and right field, at times during the season.
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The type of player that Holt is doesn’t come around very often. He is a very underrated player in the league. He’s not only a player who is capable of doing everything, but he also does it with authority. His at-bats, which came in much quicker succession than last year, proved this. He was a tough outing for pitchers, developing a .362 OBP over the course of the year.
Holt was also able to carry his form into the postseason. After finishing 108-54, it was important to turn up when it counted the very most. Holt was sure to do this when his chances came. In the ALDS, Holt played just the one game, and what a game it was. Cora’s decisions to bring lefties Holt, Rafael Devers, and Steve Pearce into the lineup, against Luis Severino were all successful.
Holt’s performance was more than successful. The utility man utilized his powers by hitting for the first cycle in postseason history, thus delivering the Red Sox 5 RBI’s on their way to a 16-1 Game 3 win over the Yankees, which ended the next night, sending the Sox to the ALCS.
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The ALDS star wasn’t able to get going in Game 1 against the Astros, but he scored an important run. Holt was hit by a pitch, which resulted in him being one of the runs that scored on the Jackie Bradley Jr. grand slam, putting the Sox up 2-1 in the series. His efforts in Game 4 saw him deliver another RBI – helping to put the Sox up 3-1, which soon turned into 4-1, sending the Sox to their first World Series since that of 2013. We all know what happened there.