Plans Coming to a Screeching "Holt"

For my first post, I thought I'd stay to my Masshole roots and talk about the Red Sox. The Red Sox have been on a roll lately, winning seven straight games as they make their way back into contention in the AL East. Although, this team looks leaps and bounds behind the team of last year that won the World Series, there have still been some bright spots that have shown through the cracks. You could talk about rookie shortstop Xander Boegarts, who is putting up a campaign worthy of Rookie of the Year consideration. You could talk about the consistant pitching of aces, Jon Lester and John Lackey. You could even talk about the constant leadership of "Big Papi" David Ortiz. All of these guys have made huge impacts on the game and are worth noting, but despite their successes, there is one guy that stands out to me. That man is Third baseman Brock Holt.

Coming into the season, who would have thought Holt would make an impact on the major league club. We had only seen him sparingly since he joined the Sox from the Pittsburgh Pirates. We would only see him when there was an injury to an infielder, where he would come up for a week or so and then be sent back down to the minors. A constant on the Triple-A Paw Sox, no one ever thought he would make a major impact with the big club. That was until this season. With the Sox needing infield depth with the loss of Stephen Drew (we will return to him later), Holt was a viable option along with utility man Jonathan Hererra. He made the big club, but no one thought he would get consistent at-bats. Then something we have seen all too often in Boston happened. Third baseman Will Middlebrooks, who just can't keep on the field and live up to his potential, got injured again. This opened up a hole on the left side of the infield. A hole that Holt was more then happy to fill. From then on, Holt never looked back. He would grind out at-bats and gain the respect of the Sox nation. He would eventually find himself in the lead off spot. A lead off spot that has had many a man take on this season. It wasn't until Holt took that spot, that there was a constant in that role. Brock Holt is a throwback type of ball player. A dirt-dog if you will. He's willing to scrap and get dirty and do whatever he can to help the team win. In a working class city like Boston, we appreciate that type of dedication. Currently, Holt is batting over .300 and just recently hit his first career homerun. He will never be the man the jumps of the TV screen, but he has the dedication that is endearing to any baseball fan.

While all this was happening, the Red Sox, who were struggling at the time, signed back the shortstop that helped lead them to the title last year. Now I was all for this move. The Sox needed some influx of energy to turn them around and Drew would be perfect for that. I couldn't contain my excitement when I heard this news. Even if it meant that Xander Boegarts would have to move to third base, I was still ecstatic. Then I started thinking about others who would be affected by the move and Brock Holt came to mind. I wondered what that meant for his future with the Sox. With Drew getting the call up back to the big club today, the time has finally come for the Red Sox to decide what to do with him. There is no way at this point that they can send Holt down. He has hit too well and fielded his position too well to warrant a demotion. It's obvious the Drew will be the shortstop and Boegarts will be the third baseman. There is no disputing this fact. While this sucks for a guy like Holt who has been hitting the cover off the ball, it is the truth. My only hope is that manager John Farrell finds a way to still get him at-bats. A platoon with Drew is possible. A platoon with Boegarts is possible, but much less likely. Holt is a valuable asset for the Sox and they should be pumped that they have him on the team. Who knows, maybe if he isn't a part of your future, you could trade him and get some assets back. His stock has never been higher. There are a multitude of options for the Sox to explore and I will be very intrigued to see how it all turns out. Whatever happens, I know Brock Holt will take it in stride and take it as a challenge, just like he has with every challenge he has faced this season.

Welcome to My Blog

Hello readers, my name is Adam Aucoin. I'm currently a student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I study journalism. I aspire to be a sports journalist someday, so I wanted to start blogging about the sports I love. A die-hard Boston sports fan for my whole life, a lot of my posts will be about my hometown teams. Outside of that, I plan on blogging about other important sports topics. I hope you guys enjoy my blog and come back often.

Best,
Adam