Three Guys on the Fringe

With Boston just two days away from embarking on their 118th season, the 2018 opening day roster has now come into clear focus. There is considerable anticipation to see this edition in action as the club boasts a boatload of talent. You have players that seem to be hungry for bounce back seasons such as Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts, and David Price. You also have impressive youngsters in Rafael Devers and Andrew Benintendi that look to prove their success in 2017 was not an aberration.The impact that J.D Martinez will bring to the middle of the lineup will certainly draw a lot of attention, and a Chris Sale start is simply a can't miss event.

Along with the excitement these storylines will bring this upcoming season, there are also huge expectations for this team. Due to the wealth of talent, the roster didn't really have many job openings to fill. However, three players that will be present in the Red Sox lineup when the team opens up the season in Tampa have captured my curiosity.

The club opted to retain former 2015 all-star Brock Holt over defensive specialist Deven Marrero and seems set on discovering what they have in Blake Swihart by making him a plug and play option this spring at DH, third base, first base, catcher and left field. The final roster spot that peaks my interest is adding Brian Johnson to the starting rotation because of injuries to Drew Pomeranz, Eduardo Rodriguez and Steven Wright.

Let's start with Brian Johnson. The Sawx really didn't have much choice in the matter with regards to Johnson making the team, but that doesn't make any difference to me. Here's a guy that is well-acquainted with adversity. Incredibly, the former first-round draft pick has been twice struck in the head with liners back to the box. The first time was in 2012, during his fourth start of the season as a rookie in Single "A" with the Lowell Spinners. He suffered multiple fractures in his face which brought an end to his first pro campaign. Then, almost two weeks before he would start for the Red Sox in Toronto last season, he was struck again while pitching for Pawtucket. Amazingly, Johnson would make his next scheduled start for the PawSox no worse for wear before the big club came calling for his services.

I happened to have the opportunity to watch his final spring training outing against the Yankees as he mowed down a cast of regulars in 4.2 scoreless innings. Johnson seems to now be moving in the right direction posting a 1.72 ERA in 15.2 spring training innings with 13 punchouts after almost walking away from baseball in 2016 due to struggles with anxiety and depression. Waking up with cold sweats and suffering from insomnia due to the constant anticipation of what may lie ahead, Johnson felt the game he loved was slipping away from him. Full credit to Brian and the organization when he decided to wrestle his demons head-on. The Red Sox never gave up on him with both management and the players providing Brian with the support he needed to navigate through these extremely difficult times. 

Fast forward to almost a year after Johnson revealed his struggles with mental illness. We were all treated to his renaissance in a complete game shutout against the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park last May. Ironically, Johnson was also on the mound at Fenway the day he was struck by the horrific liner back in 2012. Brian would strike out 8 batters and allowed only 5 hits in a 6-0 victory that was one of the most memorable games of the 2017 season. 

His roller-coaster journey has now taken him to a 2018 opening day roster spot -  a crowning achievement considering the obstacles he has faced. Johnson has been pegged to take the ball in the opening game of the Miami series holding down the fifth and final rotation spot. Even though his stay as a starter looks to be shortlived, he's not a hard guy to root for, and hopefully, he makes enough of an impression to convince the Sawx to keep him around as a bullpen piece.

After jettisoning Devin Marrero to the Diamondbacks for peanuts, there was a ripple of angst from the denizens of Red Sox Nation. Marrero had proven himself as an outstanding defender, but it appears Boston couldn't accommodate him due to his offensive weaknesses. Marrero made a valiant offensive push at the end of the spring, but when you strike out 32% of the time as he did in 2017 with the Red Sox, the writing is on the wall. Ignoring strikeouts is one thing if you're Aaron Judge or Chris Davis, but not if you are a utility player trying to parlay a spot on the bench of a big league roster. Marrero just didn't put the ball in play enough. Credit Boston for sending him to a team where he would have a chance to play on a major league roster as he was out of options.

Former major league first basemen Dale Long once said: "You can shake a dozen glove men out of a tree, but the bat separates the men from the boys." Long knew about hitting averaging 20 homers and 68 RBI from 1955 to 1959. In 1956, his best season as a major leaguer, Long homered in 8 consecutive games as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. His record has since been matched by both Don Mattingly and Ken Griffey Jr. Now the quote may oversimplify the importance of defense which can be an often overlooked but never underappreciated facet of the game. Yet, the fact remains that if you can hit, they will find a place for you to play.

Enter Blake Swihart and Brock Holt. One of the only uses of spring training stats is to validate a competition between players who are vying to make a club. To the established players, they are of little consequence. In the case of Boston passing on Marrero, the numbers don't lie. With one spring training game left to play, Holt has hit an eye-popping .324 and owns a .850 OPS this spring. Swihart jumped out of the gate with a red-hot start. He cooled as the days worn on but has still managed to hit .250 with a .794 OPS. He also belted 3 dingers and drove in 11 men. Now, put the numbers of Holt and Swihart up against Marrero's slash line of  .245/.286/.340.  Oh, and toss in Marrero's in 21 whiffs in 53 trips to the plate, and it doesn't take long to come to the obvious conclusion.

Let's start with Holt. Brock drew the ire of many when he told reporters that he thought he deserved a spot on the Red Sox roster. It seems people were quite content to move on from Holt after his productivity declined in the past two seasons. During this time, Brock had been dealing with post-concussion syndrome that included bouts of vertigo. In order to support the banishment of Holt, some pointed to the fact that he has one remaining option which is a moot point if the team feels he can help immediately. Two other items I read highlighted his offensive shortcomings. One stat that was offered revealed he was only hitting .237 in his last two seasons combined, and another noted his below average .690 career OPS.  As far as the .237 BA,  think of this - hitting a baseball is probably one of the most difficult things to do in all of sport. Try hitting a 95+ mph fastball when you are periodically dizzy and have trouble tracking the ball with the slightest movement of your head. As far as the .690 OPS, why would you expect much more from a guy who is a utility player? According to Fangraphs, an average OPS hovers around .720, so Brock's number is not god-awful. I mean, he's not going to be an everyday guy. He's going to chip in by putting the ball in play and provide adequate defense. 

I was "Team Holt" right out of the gate when camp began, and he quickly demonstrated that he might be ready to contribute effectively once again. I did waver near the end of camp based on two factors: Marrero's defense had its appeal, and the lack of opportunities to get on the field would make it difficult for either player to contribute. Now, I'm not so sure that holds true. Eduardo Nunez has said he has had concerns about his knee as early as a few days ago. Second base is Holt's natural position, so he could offer solid backing early on. Additionally, depending on what Boston decides to do with Blake Swihart, it could be Sandy Leon, not Brock Holt, who may be on the hot seat.

And now to explore the intriguing case of Blake Swihart. Like Holt, Swihart is returning from a significant injury and is just starting to regain his form. While playing left field in June of 2016, Blake suffered a devastating injury to his ankle. This ended the season for Blake, and he struggled to play consistently in 2017 due to lingering effects from the ankle injury. It showed at the plate too as Swihart batted a paltry .190 in 53 games last year with Pawtucket. Fans and media chastised the Boston brass for sabotaging Blake's career by using him in left field and diminishing his value. This is a ridiculous notion. They were simply attempting to get his bat in the lineup which is exactly what Cora is now trying to do two years later. Right from the beginning of spring training, Swihart appeared to be championed by new skipper Alex Cora as the next new super-utility player. The switch-hitting Swihart could always handle the bat. In only 390 big league plate appearances, Blake is a .270 hitter, and his athleticism made him the perfect candidate for Cora's spring experiment. 

Cora's plan for Blake was fashioned out of necessity. Swihart's rival at the catching position, Sandy Leon, is easily the superior defender and is blocking him from getting on the diamond at his natural position. Vazquez's extension a few days ago, however, tells me that the Red Sox have settled on their number one catcher, and Sandy's days could be numbered. If Boston moves away from Leon, Swihart could catch around 50 games and get additional ABs at third when the team faces tough lefties along with a little first base and DHing. It would also mean Holt could stick and continue to be an asset off the bench.

In any event, the Red Sox definitely have the goods to win their third consecutive division title. In order to achieve this goal, unexpected contributions are always important throughout the course of a lengthy 162 game season. It remains to be seen if the three players I highlighted here will be factors over the long haul for Boston, but I'm very eager to find out.