nvalvo said:
Brock Holt still has an option year remaining while Herrera does not (if I'm not mistaken), so winning this job was always going to be a long shot for him.
He's got value as depth, but Herrera's track record suggests a better and more versatile defensive player and a quite comparable offensive profile.
Holt still has
two options remaining according to soxprospects.
I don't know if I agree that they're offensively comparable--Holt seems to have a better approach and more upside, despite last year's BABIP-fueled fiasco--but the difference isn't huge enough to outweigh Herrera's superiority at the one absolute necessity for this roster slot, which is adequate defense at the infield skill positions.
Besides, Herrera is a documented badass, while Holt looks like the dweeb that George Bailey cuts in on in the dance scene in
It's a Wonderful Life. So Herrera easily wins the "bench-clearing brawl value" contest.