Brock Holt has no time for negativity leading up to Opening Day.
Holt currently is competing for a spot on the Boston Red Sox’s 25-man roster, where he’d assume the utility role he’s held for much of his time with the organization. Don’t bother asking him whether he expects to be the player he was in 2015, though. Because as far as Holt is concerned, he’s never changed, despite a couple of rocky seasons plagued by concussions and vertigo.
“I feel like I’ve never stopped being that player (from 2015),” Holt told MassLive.com on Thursday at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla. “Everything that I’ve read or seen has been, ‘I’m not the same player.’ But I don’t think people actually understand what I was going through, what was happening and how difficult it was.
“A lot of people believe what’s being written and what’s being said, but nobody’s ever really asked me the question. But I do. I feel like I’m the same player. I’ve always been the same player. I think I’ve proven when I’m healthy that I can help. I’m finally healthy again. I finally feel good. So we’ll see what happens.”
Holt earned an All-Star nod in 2015 and finished the season hitting .280 with a .349 on-base percentage. He served as a valuable contributor, playing all over the diamond across 129 games, and looked like a solid consolation prize in the ill-advised 2012 trade in which the Red Sox also acquired closer Joel Hanrahan in exchange for a package headlined by eventual All-Star closer Mark Melancon.
But 2016 and 2017 were a much different story, with Holt hitting just .237 with a .316 on-base percentage in 158 games. And health — or lack thereof — seemingly was the biggest reason for his decline, which is why Holt is done listening to those questioning his talent at age 29.
“That’s why I deleted Twitter last year,” Holt told MassLive.com. “I deleted Twitter last year in the middle of the year. Just tired of getting on there and seeing what people had to say.
“They don’t know anything of what I’m going through,” Holt added. “I try not to read much. But you see it. We all see it. We all know what’s going on. Try to stay away from it as best you can.”
Finally healthy, Holt has been productive this spring, which could help him fend off Deven Marrero or Blake Swihart — who both are out of minor league options — for a spot on Boston’s roster. He isn’t without critics, though. He’s just not listening to them.
