Brock Holt’s life drastically changed last season. Or did it?
Although Holt was one of the Boston Red Sox’s few bright spots amid a terrible 2014, the 26-year-old still enters this season with a certain degree of uncertainty. Sure, he has a major league job. But it’s unclear how much playing time he’ll garner as Boston’s super-utility player.
Regardless, Holt is embracing the situation.
“It’s the way I’ve been my whole life — high school, college, junior college, minor leagues — I’ve always been an under-the-radar-type guy,” Holt told the Boston Herald’s Jason Mastrodonato on Wednesday in Fort Myers, Fla. “I like being that, proving people wrong, going out and showing people that I can play, compete with the best players.”
Holt certainly silenced his doubters last season. He finished the season with a .286 average, four homers, 29 RBIs, 12 stolen bases and a .331 on-base percentage in 106 games, and his value extended well beyond the box score. Holt played every position except for pitcher and catcher, and his energy provided an obvious spark despite the Red Sox’s season-long struggles.
In many instances, such an impressive effort would warrant consideration for a starting role the following season, especially with Holt performing so well before suffering a concussion Aug. 25 in Toronto. But Holt still finds himself attached to a “utility” label, as the Red Sox retooled over the offseason by signing third baseman Pablo Sandoval and outfielder Hanley Ramirez, among others.
“I would say it motivates me,” Holt told Mastrodonato of his roster standing. “I would say last year I got to the point where I was playing every day and it was easy to be on the field knowing I was going to be in the lineup. It was just a matter of where I was going to play.
“It’ll be a little different (this season), but I’ll come to the field every day ready to play, look at the lineup and if I’m in, I’m in. If not, I’ll get ready to come into the game later or something like that,” Holt added. “Just have to have that attitude of being an everyday player, maybe just not playing every day.”
Holt’s situation is unlike that of any other player on the Red Sox’s roster, which is OK, because Holt is unlike any other player the club has at its disposal.
Thumbnail photo via Jonathan Dyer/USA TODAY Sports Images
