The Boston Red Sox only have a few position battles taking place across the diamond during spring training.
The most intriguing of them? Perhaps it is the starting second base job still up for grabs.
It was thought to be a two-player race between Vaughn Grissom and prized prospect Kristian Campbell when camp opened up. But their struggles allowed a third candidate to swoop in and put himself clearly in the running for the spot.
In fact, it looks like David Hamilton is the favorite to take up second base when the Red Sox open their season March 27 against the Texas Rangers.
“The structure of the roster is important,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters Sunday, per The Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams. “One thing for sure, Hammy has played well at short, at second, the at-bats are really good. And, obviously, what he could do on the base path (is huge). But the running part (Friday) was huge. He bunted. Stole second. Then (Ceddanne) Rafaela got a base hit and then he stole second. So that matters, especially with the brand of baseball we want to play.”
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Hamilton surely has done more on the field this spring than Grissom or Campbell to earn the job. Hamilton is batting .250 with two home runs, six RBIs and five stolen bases during the exhibition slate.
Meanwhile, Grissom, who the Red Sox acquired last offseason from the Atlanta Braves in the Chris Sale deal, hasn’t found his footing, sporting a .188 batting average. Campbell, who is only 22 years old and just experienced his first full pro season in 2024, hasn’t lived up to expectations during spring training by hitting .152.
That certainly leaves Hamilton with a good shot to be in Cora’s starting lineup come Opening Day. There’s a certain trust factor with Hamilton, too, that Grissom and Campbell don’t have. Hamilton played in 98 games for Boston a season ago, posting a .248 batting average with eight home runs and 22 RBIs. Hamilton also placed second on the team with 33 steals, just one behind Jarren Duran despite playing 62 less games.
Hamilton’s speed and how it can make a monumental impact might just be the deciding factor for Cora to stick Hamilton into the starting lineup once games count for real.
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