Brock Holt

Position: 2B, 3B, 1B, OF
Bats/Throws: L/R
Age:  June 11, 1988 (31)

Traditional Stats: 87 G, 295 PA, .297/.369/.402, 14 2B, 3 HR, 31 RBI, 38 R
Advanced Stats: 1.3 fWAR, 103 wRC+, -2 DRS, 2.4 UZR in 469.1 innings at 2B

Brock Holt was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the ninth round of the 2009 MLB Draft and went on to make his MLB debut with the club in 2012.

In 2013, Holt was traded in a six-player deal that sent him to the Boston Red Sox. Mark Melancon was one of the players that went back to the Pirates. Holt spent a majority of the season in Triple-A, only spending 26 games with the Red Sox. While he was not on the active roster, the Red Sox went on to win the World Series in 2013.

Holt finally became a mainstay on the Red Sox roster in 2014, becoming a great utility player. Throughout the season, Holt played every defensive position but pitcher and catcher, while hitting .281/.331/.381.

In 2015, Holt became the first Red Sox player to hit for the cycle in 19 years, when he did so against the Atlanta Braves. Holt was later selected to be on the All-Star team by Royal manager Ned Yost. He entered the All-Star Game as a pinch runner for Mike Trout and successfully stole second base, before scoring a run.

Over the next couple of years, Holt continued to play the utility role for the Red Sox, but did not receive quite the same amount of playing time as he did in 2015. In 2014 and 2015, Holt eclipsed 400 plate appearances each season. Over the next two years, Holt would not even reach 300 plate appearances.

In 2018, Holt once again eclipsed 300 plate appearances, playing in over 100 games for the third time in his career. He hit .277/.362/.411, with seven home runs, 18 doubles, 41 runs scored and a career-high 46 RBIs. In Game 3 of the ALDS against the New York Yankees, Holt became the first player in MLB history to hit for the cycle in a postseason game. The Red Sox went on to win the World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers that year.

This past season, Holt set career-best marks for his batting average and on-base percentage. He hit .297/.369/.402, with 31 RBIs and 38 runs scored in 89 games played. Holt once again played every position except center field, catcher and pitcher.

Contract

Brock Holt is a free agent for the first time at 31 years old and will be trying to cash in on the versatility that has made him such a key piece for the Boston Red Sox over the years.

Last season, Holt made $3.575 million in his final year of arbitration with Red Sox. MLB Trade Rumors predicts that Holt will sign a two-year deal worth $8 million, so he may not receive much of a raise through free agency.

Recommendation

When it comes to position players, the New York Mets have only added center fielder Jake Marisnick to their MLB roster, as their primary focus has been to address the pitching staff. Marisnick replaces Juan Lagares, but the Mets have yet to address the loss of Todd Frazier through free agency.

Frazier was not expected to play the biggest of roles coming into last season, but due to Jed Lowrie never seeing the field, he remained as the Mets starting third baseman. Frazier hit .251/.329/.443, with 22 home runs and 67 RBIs. He was the Mets fourth-best position player according to his 2.2 bWAR.

It appears that the Mets are planning to make Jeff McNeil the everyday third baseman and are counting on better health from Brandon Nimmo, Yoenis Cespedes and Dominic Smith to absorb the innings that McNeil spent in the outfield in 2019.

Still, if McNeil is playing exclusively at third base, there is no one on the roster that is slated to take over his super utility role from last season. Luis Guillorme is a great defensive infielder and showed some offensive promise at the end of last season. Lowrie should have a role of the bench, but there is no guarantee that he will be healthy enough to contribute.

All of that is to say that the Mets could use a player with Brock Holt’s skill-set, as a starting caliber hitter that can play all over the diamond. If the Mets can sign Holt to that two-year, $8 million deal that MLB Trade Rumors suggested, they should jump at adding him to this roster.