Since Nomar Garciaparra got traded, the Boston Red Sox haven’t been able to find a solution at shortstop. A lot of fans thought that Jed Lowrie would the solution, but was too injury prone to take the job. One name that could be the solution at shortstop for the long term is Jose Iglesias.
Iglesias, 23, is one of the best defensive prospects in the minors. He is not known to be an offensive player, but showed signs of improvement in that area over the years. In 2012, many fans thought he should have won the shortstop job, but it ended up going to Mike Aviles. He worked hard in Pawtucket to get a promotion to the Red Sox. All that hard work paid off, as Iglesias would get promoted to the Majors. In 25 games with the Red Sox last season, he batted .118 with a home run. After the season ended, Iglesias worked out with Dustin Pedroia, trying to become a better hitter.
As Iglesias started to get confident, the Red Sox made a surprising move by signing shortstop Stephen Drew to a one year deal. When Iglesias heard the news, he was upset, as thought he would finally get the chance to become the starting shortstop. The news of the Drew signing motivated Iglesias to get better and stronger for the upcoming season.
Spring Training started in February, and Iglesias showed up determined to make an impression on the Sox. During an exhibition game, Drew got hit in the head by a pitch and suffered a concussion. This caused concern that Drew wouldn’t be ready for the start of the season. A few weeks later, manager, John Farrell named Jose Iglesias the Opening Day shortstop. This was a dream come true for Iglesias.
When Opening Day arrived, Iglesias made a huge impression, by earning three hits and an RBI. In 6 games with the Red Sox this season, Iglesias batted .450 with an RBI. Two weeks after Opening Day, he was sent down to Pawtucket to make room for Stephen Drew. Iglesias took the news like a pro and didn’t complain. When Drew came back, he was struggling, and led fans to ask for Iglesias to be called back up. Iglesias ended up staying in Pawtucket, where he batting .246, 3 Home Runs, and 10 RBI.
If Iglesias continues to play like this, and Drew keeps on struggling, it is a very good chance you could see Iglesias as the Red Sox starting shortstop in the near future.
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