Who Really is Brock Holt?
Bryan Mauro- Contributing Writer (@threecolorbeard)
Lately, I have seen rumblings on social media about the type of player that Brock Holt is and reasons why he has not been playing, and it’s got me thinking and asking myself: Have I been blind to what Brock Holt actually is for so long?
I see Brock Holt as a decent 4th outfielder with a good arm. As an infielder, he doesn’t do anything flashy, but makes the plays he is supposed to make. He draws walks, comes up with clutch hits, and can hit for an average, with a little bit of power. He has deceptive speed. All in all, I would view Holt as a solid player.
I asked around to see if I was the only one who thought this way. The responses that I received were mostly the same. The praises for Brock were mixed, and some did not praise him at all. I started off by asking a non Red Sox fan their thoughts on Brock Holt. This person is an avid baseball fan and watches all games. They said, “Holt is a nice player who can do a lot of things okay, but doesn’t do many things great. With the way the Red Sox roster is currently constructed it will be hard for him to get current playing time. He is the 5th best outfielder on their team. He’s not terrible out there, but he takes bad routes to the ball, and doesn’t have as much range as you would think he has.”
Okay, but his couldn’t possibly be the thought of all Red Sox fans and writers? I had to find out. I asked the Red Sox life staff what they thought of Brock Holt and here is what they said:
Jim Monaghan said, “I have always thought of Brock Holt as an AAAA player. He’s versatile and can be productive at times, but his weaknesses get exposed over longer periods of playing time.” Eric Schabell offered up, “He just pales compared to the others out there. He is a back up outfielder.”
I agree that Brock Holt does have his struggles, and the Red Sox should not be expecting him to play every day. However, when he is used as a back up, he provides a nice value.
I had been in the camp that the play of Brock Holt had declined over the last couple of years. Then, when it came out that Brock was suffering from vertigo, had the flu this year, and has had a concussion as recently as last year, it makes absolute sense that his play has declined. When he comes back healthy, I hope he is the 2014 version of himself and really helps this team when guys need a break.
I am interested to hear from our readers on this topic. Who do you think Brock Holt is? Has he reached his ceiling? Will he ever get back to the player he was in 2014?
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I see Brock Holt as a decent 4th outfielder with a good arm. As an infielder, he doesn’t do anything flashy, but makes the plays he is supposed to make. He draws walks, comes up with clutch hits, and can hit for an average, with a little bit of power. He has deceptive speed. All in all, I would view Holt as a solid player.
I asked around to see if I was the only one who thought this way. The responses that I received were mostly the same. The praises for Brock were mixed, and some did not praise him at all. I started off by asking a non Red Sox fan their thoughts on Brock Holt. This person is an avid baseball fan and watches all games. They said, “Holt is a nice player who can do a lot of things okay, but doesn’t do many things great. With the way the Red Sox roster is currently constructed it will be hard for him to get current playing time. He is the 5th best outfielder on their team. He’s not terrible out there, but he takes bad routes to the ball, and doesn’t have as much range as you would think he has.”
Okay, but his couldn’t possibly be the thought of all Red Sox fans and writers? I had to find out. I asked the Red Sox life staff what they thought of Brock Holt and here is what they said:
Jim Monaghan said, “I have always thought of Brock Holt as an AAAA player. He’s versatile and can be productive at times, but his weaknesses get exposed over longer periods of playing time.” Eric Schabell offered up, “He just pales compared to the others out there. He is a back up outfielder.”
I agree that Brock Holt does have his struggles, and the Red Sox should not be expecting him to play every day. However, when he is used as a back up, he provides a nice value.
I had been in the camp that the play of Brock Holt had declined over the last couple of years. Then, when it came out that Brock was suffering from vertigo, had the flu this year, and has had a concussion as recently as last year, it makes absolute sense that his play has declined. When he comes back healthy, I hope he is the 2014 version of himself and really helps this team when guys need a break.
I am interested to hear from our readers on this topic. Who do you think Brock Holt is? Has he reached his ceiling? Will he ever get back to the player he was in 2014?
