BOSTON — It’s on to Cincinnati for Brock Holt.
As Holt’s teammates left Fenway Park for a four-game break following Sunday’s 8-6 loss to the New York Yankees, the Red Sox super utility man packed his bags for the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Great American Ball Park. Holt, who’s making his first trip to the Midsummer Classic, is Boston’s lone representative at this year’s event. The 27-year-old is ready to embrace the opportunity.
“I haven’t,” Holt said when asked if he’s had a chance to think about the upcoming festivities. “I’ve just been focused on this last series (against the Yankees) and I’m going to enjoy it, I’m going to try to go soak it all in. I don’t know what to expect. People have told me it’s a lot of stuff in a short amount of time, but we’ll have fun with it.”
Holt is an unlikely All-Star. He entered 2015 without a clear-cut role despite a solid 2014 campaign, yet he soon forced his way into regular playing time, in large because of his ability to bounce around the diamond. Holt’s versatility has been a godsend to the Red Sox, especially when coupled with his offensive success. It caught the eye of American League manager Ned Yost, who selected Holt to his All-Star squad.
“It means a lot,” Holt said. “I know how much time and effort I put in. I’ve worked my tail off since, shoot, for as long as I can remember.
“I haven’t been recognized a whole lot, so it’s nice to get a little recognition, especially a manager’s choice. It means that the people across the way recognize what you’re doing, so it’s a huge honor.”
Holt described his All-Star selection as “surreal” shortly after hearing the news. A week later, he’s still wrapping his head around the reality he’s been chosen as the only All-Star from a team that features the likes of Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez, to name a few.
“(Manager John Farrell) told me, Pedroia’s told me, (Clay) Buchholz — all of the guys who have been there have come up to me and said, ‘It’s a lot of stuff, but try to do as much as you can and enjoy it because it’ll go by fast and you never know if you’re going to go back,’ ” Holt said of his teammates’ All-Star advice. “So I’m looking forward to it.”
Holt clearly is channeling his inner Ferris Bueller in preparation of his trip to Cincy. Life has been moving fast the last couple of seasons, and he finally plans to stop and look around for a change.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
