Boston Red Sox: Brock Holt’s Return Vital to Continued Success
While the Boston Red Sox have firmly established their offensive dominance this season, some cracks are beginning to show in the team’s foundation with Travis Shaw and Hanley Ramirez struggling at the plate. The return of Brock Holt will be vital to keep the team’s offense rolling.
Last season, Boston Red Sox utility-man Brock Holt burst onto the scene as a star not for his hitting prowess, but rather for his ability to consistently hit while playing every position on the field. It’s what led the 28-year-old to the All-Star game as the Sox lone representative, and what will likely keep him with the team for seasons to come.
This year, manager John Farrell opted to start Holt in left field early in the season for the lack of production from Rusney Castillo – who was sent to the minors – and the emergence of Travis Shaw, a 6’4″ infielder riding a hot bat from last season into the spring.
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To start the season, Holt looked solid in left field. While his -4.1 defensive WAR left something to be desired, Holt had the athleticism to make tough plays on a fairly consistent basis. Plus, his near .300 average made up for any miscues in the field. But then, seemingly out of nowhere, he stopped producing at the plate.
Before landing on the disabled list with a concussion in May, Holt was hitting .213 in his last 30 games with a lowly .280 OBP. In his last seven games, he only managed two hits in 22 at-bats. Despite his struggles of late, Holt’s return to the Red Sox now looks more vital than ever.
While Travis Shaw looked like an All-Star candidate for the first three months of the season after beating out Pablo Sandoval for the starting third base job, the flaws in his approach are quickly being exposed – resulting in a rough stretch of games.
Shaw has seen his average plummet from over .320 in mid-May to .266 now. Eric Wilbur of Boston.com noted that Shaw experienced a new low point in Boston’s loss to Minnesota on June 12, where he was benched in favor of Josh Rutledge and then went 0-2 late in the game. Over his last 30 games, Shaw is hitting just .224 with a .291 OBP and 29 strikeouts.
Across the diamond, Hanley Ramirez is similarly faltering at first base after looking rejuvenated to start the season. Ramirez was hitting in the .280s for much of April and May, but that number has dropped to .269 while he’s only hit four home runs all season long.
Like Shaw, Ramirez is only hitting .161 in his last 15 games with a .273 OBP. And interestingly enough, his strikeout percentage of 19.6 is three points higher than it was in his brutal 2015 season.
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Up to this point, the struggles of Shaw and Ramirez have been masked by the dominance of the young core of Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Mookie Betts and the hot-hitting farewell tour of David Ortiz.
But assuming any one of those players struggles – because, well, that’s what happens in baseball – the Sox will need Shaw to break out of the first prolonged slump of his career, or Ramirez to be somewhat of a run producer.
And that’s where Holt comes in. If Shaw’s struggles continue, Holt will play the perfect platoon partner to face lefties. Holt – who essentially gave up switch hitting this year – owns a .291 career average against lefties, while Shaw is hitting just .143 against them this season.
While Ramirez is equally good against lefties and righties – though it’s worth noting he’s hitting .260 against right-handers this year, as compared to a .314 mark against left-handers – his defense at first, like every other position, is still below average. His -4.4 UZR/150 isn’t horrendous, but it’s far from solid. And that’s where Holt comes in.
When the Sox are tied up late in the game, they could essentially put Holt in at third – his best position defensively – and move Shaw to first. Holt, while not the best at first, has proved serviceable there and could earn some starts over Ramirez if he comes back swinging a hot bat.
Although Holt struggled before succumbing to injury, a stint on the DL may be just what he needed to get his mind straight. Last season, he hit .280/.340/.379 with 45 RBI and 56 runs scored, while also stealing eight bases. Despite his .239 mark this season, his strikeouts are down and he’s getting on base at a respectable .310 clip. His struggles could even be blamed on a low .261 BABIP, which is down nearly 100 points from last season. It’s easy to see him excelling from the get go once he returns.
What Holt gives the Red Sox is flexibility, and while he can be a decent starter for stretches of time – his game is best suited to that of a utility role. With Chris Young playing well in left field and Blake Swihart primed to take the starting job there once he returns from the DL, Holt will instantly give the Sox a reliable backup option at every position on the field.
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It’s unclear how long Shaw and Ramirez will continue to struggle, but Holt’s impending return gives the Sox not only a reliable infield option, but a capable player at every position on the field.