Why the Red Sox should start Brock Holt over Stephen Drew

The Boston Red Sox are in the midst of a very confusing stretch that saw them sweep not only the NL East leading Atlanta Braves, but also the Tampa Bay Rays, where a spark was shown from the Red Sox for the first time in a long time. They followed that up by being swept by the Cleveland Indians and losing the opening two games to the Detroit Tigers.

Some of the reasons for the early success have been some better pitching, including AAA call-ups Brandon Workman and Rubby De La Rosa, and the breakout hitting of Brock Holt and Xander Bogaerts. Brock Holt has been one of the most pleasant surprises with this team, thanks to his pesky leadoff hitting, and being the team leader in batting average. However with the re-signing of Stephen Drew, plus Mike Napoli returning to lineup soon, Brock Holt’s time may be dwindling. Despite these things the best option for the Red Sox is starting Brock Holt at 3B and Xander Bogaerts at SS.

While the Red Sox spent $10 million on Drew to re-sign during their early season slide, in the early stages, it hasn’t worked out that well. The offense has been miserable as he is batting .071 with 1 RBI. The defense has been solid but not all that different from what Bogaerts did at SS. The biggest issue is the fact that Brock Holt has been so great since he came up from Pawtucket. One of the reasons that Brock Holt should start is that he provides this offense with a leadoff hitter that they lost when Jacoby Ellsbury left for New York. The way he approaches hitting is something the Red Sox don’t have in their lineup. With a strong leadoff hitter, and Mike Napoli returning to the 5 spot in the lineup, this is a potentially potent first 5. In addition, you can take some pressure off of AJ Pierzynski who is one of the top RBI producers among catchers right now. If you put him in the 6 spot, it can be a very effective lineup.

While this is what I believe to be a better option for the starting lineup for the Boston Red Sox, there are other options as well. The Red Sox could still look to trade for someone like Giancarlo Stanton of Miami. Having said that, I believe Brock Holt is the best the Red Sox have for the leadoff role and for the starting lineup.