One of the most beloved Red Sox players of the 2010s called it a career on Thursday, as Brock Holt announced on Instagram he’s hanging it up.
Holt spent parts of 10 big leagues seasons with the Pirates, Red Sox, Brewers, Nationals, and Rangers, before a stint with the Braves this past spring training. Now, he’s on to what many speculate as a media career with NESN.
A 9th round selection in the 2009 MLB Draft by the Pirates, Holt made his big league debut with the organization in September of 2012. Just before Christmas, he was a throw-in alongside Joel Hanrahan and shipped to the Red Sox for a package of Mark Melancon, Stolmy Pimental, Jerry Sands, and Ivan De Jesus.
In 2013, Holt got his first taste with the Red Sox over 26 games, but he became a fixture in 2014 and filled a super utility role through the 2019 campaign. He took part in 2 different championship seasons, was the team’s lone All-Star in 2015, and served as the Jimmy Fund Captain for 5 straight seasons.
Holt signed with the Brewers ahead of the 2020 season, but was released in August after struggling and finished the year with the Nationals. He spent 2021 with the Rangers and even got some revenge on the Red Sox, yet it wasn’t enough to land him another major league deal.
“Brock Star” appeared at every position except catcher in the majors, and also owns 2 big league records, which are the slowest pitch in MLB history and the only player to ever hit for the cycle in the postseason.
Across 749 big league games, Holt finished with a final slash line of .262/.332/.362/.694 over 749 games with 25 homers, 127 doubles, 234 RBI, and 41 stolen bases. On top of his cycle during the 2018 playoff run, he also accomplished the feat in the regular season back in 2015.
At the end of spring training in 2022, Holt asked for his release from the Braves after not making the Opening Day roster. He wasn’t interested in a return to the minors, so he waited for a major league offer that just never came to fruition. It was a disappointment for Holt, considering he had worked in the offseason with former teammates Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi.
Despite not appearing in any games this past season, Holt returned to his roots in Boston and did some analyst work on NESN. Rather quickly, he endeared himself to Red Sox fans once again, thanks to his humor and outlook on the game. It was a nice preview of what many expect to be his future after calling it quits.
Even with this being the end of Holt’s big league journey, it’s fun to look back at all the moments that etched his name into Red Sox lore forever. He was another guy that exuded the “dirt dog” mentality on a nightly basis, even during some brutal seasons.
