Ex-Red Sox Fan Favorite Wanted To End Career In Boston But Was Not Offered Contract

'I wanted to re-sign there, I wanted to end my career there'

Scott Neville | Oct 14, 2023

Ex-Red Sox Fan Favorite Wanted To End Career In Boston But Was Not Offered Contract /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have had substantial turnover since their historically talented 2018 World Series Championship roster.

Just five years later, Chris Sale and Rafael Devers are the only players remaining from what could have been a dynasty.

One impact player -- who gets plenty of praise for his off-field antics but deserves more credibility for his on-field production never wanted to leave but was essentially forced out of the door.

"I've been trying to get back to Boston and the Red Sox organization since I left," Brock Holt told WEEI's Rob Bradford on the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast. "I never wanted to leave after the 2019 season. I wanted to re-sign there, I wanted to end my career there."

Holt had his best two offensive seasons in 2018 and 2019 before entering free agency and eventually signing with the Milwaukee Brewers.

The veteran utility man hit .297 with 19 extra-base hits including three home runs, 31 RBIs and a .771 OPS (101 OPS+) in 87 games during his last season in Boston. He had a .774 OPS in the prior season, good for a 109 OPS+ in 109 games.

Despite his success, Chaim Bloom did not want him back months after accepting the job as chief baseball officer.

Over his seven-year stint with the Red Sox, Holt hit .270 with 144 extra-base hits including 23 home runs, 203 RBIs and a .715 OPS (92 OPS+) in 615 games. He also played every position outside of catcher during his Red Sox tenure.

Holt continues to be involved in the community, particularly with the Jimmy Fund and has expressed interest in joining the front office or coaching staff someday as well.

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Published Oct 14, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu