In Boston, Brock Holt Is A Legend On and Off The Field
In the history of Major League Baseball, there have been nearly 21,000 players. Of those, 278 are enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (which will increase to 283 this coming weekend), and scores more currently playing will be there some day.
That leaves many, many players who have come and gone; gotten their proverbial “cup of coffee,” and then moved on to selling insurance or teaching middle school or coaching. Some players make an appearance, and we have no recollection of them ever being there. You might find an old baseball card and be reminded of seeing them play a game in Milwaukee in 1987, but nothing else comes to mind (looking at you, Steve Kiefer). For others, despite uninspired career statistics, they leave a mark – they are fondly remembered by the fans of the teams for which they played.
One such player is Brock Holt, the “Brockstar.” Holt is from Fort Worth, Texas, graduating from Stephenville High School in 2006. Undrafted, and with no formal collegiate offers, Holt attended Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas, about 80 miles southeast of his hometown. After two years there, he transferred to Rice University in Houston, putting up great stats, hitting .348 with 12 home runs, 67 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases — all in just 59 games. He was named to the All-NCAA Regional Team and the All-Silver Glove Trophy Series team.
His one-year success at Rice led Holt to be selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 9th round of the 2009 draft. He spent parts of four seasons in the Pirates’ minor league system before being called up the “bigs” when rosters expanded on September 1, 2012. He immediately saw action, walking and scoring a run in his first major league game.
The next day he was Pittsburgh’s lead-off hitter, playing second base. After a strike out looking and a line out, he recorded his first big league hit — a single to center off Yovani Gallardo. Before the day was over, he would have his second hit and first run batted in.
Two days after that, Holt became only the second Pirate to ever have a four-hit game within his first four major league games (Jack Merson did it in 1951, but you knew that already).
When the season ended, the Pirates traded Holt (and Joel Hanrahan) to the Boston Red Sox in return for Jerry Sands, Stolmy Pimentel, Mark Melancon, and Iván DeJesús Jr. After starting the season at Triple-A Pawtucket, Holt got called to the big club to face the Angels right before the All-Star break. He ultimately played in 26 games, but was not on the post-season roster for the team that won its third World Series in ten years.
2014 was Holt’s breakout season, playing in 106 games and finishing 8th in Rookie of the Year voting. He built on that foundation with a strong 2015, making the All-Star team while accruing 2.8 bWAR (which would turn out to be a career-high).
A concussion derailed his 2016 season, limiting him to 94 games. But, in a sign of things to come, Holt hit .400 in the Division Series, which Boston lost to Cleveland.
Concussion symptoms and vertigo slowed his 2017 season, and he only played in 64 games. In 2018, Holt played six different positions (missing only pitcher, catcher, and center field). He hit .277, and was a spark plug for a team that won yet another World Series.
Holt may have reached folklore status with fans in New England in Game 3 of the 2018 American League Division Series against the New York Yankees. Becoming the first major league player to ever hit for the cycle in the post-season, he thumped the hated rivals, going 4-for-6 with five RBI. He saved the best for last, slamming a two-run dinger into the stands in right field in the top of the ninth to finish off a 16-1 boat race in the Bronx. In many ways, that game was the apex of Brock Holt’s major league career.
A scratched cornea and shoulder impingement limited his 2019 — his final year before free agency — to 87 games. He signed a one-year contract with Milwaukee that off-season, but was designated for assignment after just 16 games, after slashing .100/.222/.100. The Washington Nationals gave him a look in 20 games, where his slash line improved to a meager .262/.314/.354.
In a full-circle moment, Holt signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers prior to the 2021 season. In 76 games, he slashed .209/.281/.298, hitting just two home runs. On August 7th, he made his third career pitching appearance, retiring all three Athletics batters he faced.
During Spring Training of 2022, Holt signed a minor league deal with the Braves, but just eleven days later he requested his release. He officially retired from baseball in October of 2022.
Despite the late-career journey, Holt will always be remembered as a member of the Red Sox. As the club’s Jimmy Fund captain for five seasons, he and his wife Lakyn became the face of that charitable organization raising money for and the spirits of people getting treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. And nearly two years after his retirement, Holt was named the co-chair of The Jimmy Fund, serving alongside broadcaster Tom Caron.
Two weeks ago, Holt found himself back at Fenway Park, this time wearing a totally different uniform. He was a special guest hitter of the Savannah Bananas, and participated in the Banana’s traditional “Dance Her Home” routine, once again entertaining 37,000 Boston faithful.
Some players come and go, and barely leave a mark. Others, like Brock Holt, live on in the hearts and the minds of a fanbase for years to come.
PLAY BALL!!
