Underrated Player of the Year: 2014

In this series, I look at one player per year from 1991-the present who came out of nowhere or had a great year that no one really noticed or expected.

Boston's acquisition of Joel Hanrahan for 2013 was one of those deals that just did not seem to work out well for the Red Sox.  They made a number of those trades, particularly for closers, over the years.  Mark Melancon turned into an All Star right away for Pittsburgh and Hanrahan went down for the rest of the year after just a handful of inconsistent games.  But there was a right spot as Brock Holt also came over in that deal.  

Holt had played in 24 games for Pittsburgh in 2012 and won the Triple A batting title before being traded to the Red Sox.  He made it into 26 more games in 2013, then broke out in 2014 as he played mostly regularly in the Majors for the first time.  Holt was officially a rookie in 2014 and even managed to finish eighth in the Rookie of the Year voting, though admittedly that was only one vote.

Versatility was the primary reason that Holt stuck around.  He played in 104 games for Boston, pretty much all over the field.  He played every position except pitcher and catcher, but spent most of his games at third base.  He really stepped up when Will Middlebrooks and Xander Bogaerts faltered at third.  He also made some impressive defensive plays.

On top of his defensive versatility, Holt actually could hit a little bit too.  He finished the season with a slash line of .281/.331/.381 with four home runs and 29 RBIs.  He lead the team in stolen bases with 12.  

Of course, the best was yet to come for Brockstar.  He would be named to the All Star team in 2015 while continuing to be a very versatile defender and good contact hitter.

The New Acquisitions

For the first post back, let's take a look at the new members of the Red Sox:

C - DAVID ROSS
Ross was signed for two years and $6.2 million.  This is probably the best signing of the offseason for the team.  Ross provides veteran leadership behind the plate in a platoon role.  The big question will be whether he platoons with Jarrod Saltalamacchia or Ryan Lavarnway.

1B/C/DH - MIKE NAPOLI
Napoli was signed for one year and $5 million.  He has a bat seemingly tailor-made for Fenway Park and should knock more than a few balls out of the park.  It will be interesting to see if there are any lingering ill will effects from having to renegotiate his original three year $39 million contract.

IF - BROCK HOLT
Holt was acquired in a trade with the Pirates along with Joel Hanrahan.  Holt has had limited Major League experience but has shown a decent eye at the plate.  He could stick in a bench role.

SS - STEPHEN DREW
Drew signed as a free agent for one year and $9.5 million.  This one does not make much sense to me.  Drew blocks Jose Iglesias at shortstop and is being paid too much when his numbers have been on the decline for a couple of years.  Yes he has had injury concerns, but this still does not make a lot of sense.

RF - SHANE VICTORINO
Victorino was signed as a free agent for three years and $39 million.  He is coming off his worst season as a regular which saw the popular outfielder traded from the Phillies to the Dodgers.  He did steal 39 bases, but his other numbers across the board were down.  It will be difficult for Victorino to live up to his contract.

LF/DH - JONNY GOMES
Gomes was signed as a free agent for two years and $10 million.  Gomes has been a journeyman bat, usually off the bench.  He was once a major antagonist in fights with the Rays so it was a little surprising that he signed with the Red Sox.  This is a little bit of a reach in terms of money, but Gomes should provide some power.  He is very capable of hitting 20 home runs.

SP - RYAN DEMPSTER
Dempster signed for two years and $26.5 million as a free agent.  Boston attempted to acquire Dempster a couple of times throughout the 2012 season.  He was traded from the Cubs to the Rangers at the trading deadline.  Dempster's numbers promptly declined coming to the American League.  Boston is hoping he will learn from those mistakes.  He will not be expected to be a top of the rotation starter which takes some pressure off.

RP - KOJI UEHARA
Uehara signed for one year and $4.25 million.  He is a control pitcher from the bullpen, further strengthening what has already become a powerful weapon for the team.

RP - JOEL HANRAHAN
Hanrahan was acquired in a trade with the Pirates along with Brock Holt.  Hanrahan is expected to take over as the team's closer.  He had decent numbers with the Pirates when the team was contending last year, but those took a slide with the team's fortunes.  He should be fun to watch.

The big concern that I have is that a lot of the signings block players that were seemingly ready for the Major Leagues in 2013.  Ross and Napoli block Ryan Lavarnway.  Drew blocks Jose Iglesias.  Gomes and Victorino block Ryan Kalish.  Lavarnway, Iglesias, and Kalish are not expected to be superstars, but they deserve a shot to see if they could stick at the Major League level.