I think they have to give him a shot.  If he is hitting 160 in June, then down he goes.  If he is hitting 220 the job is his for the year.

I imagine Ciriaco will get his share of starts as well, just to keep some of the pressure off.

In response to southpaw777's comment:

I like him better in right. I think his arm is too good for left field and he'd be a little wasted on that side of the outfield.

In response to carnie's comment:

It seems hes got the body type that would be atheletic, but big and bulky, thats why I say LF. That and Brentz has better range and a howitzer for an arm.

The advantage of a strong arm in right is mainly due to the long throw to third base.  In Fenway , it is not a bad idea to have a good arm in left , with the wall - ball single or double situation. The throws to the plate are similar in left and right.  I could see a future left side of Iglesias at short , Middlebrooks at third and Bogaerts in left.

That's a good point. Especially if Brentz can develop into the everyday RF, you could have an everyday outfield of Bogaerts, Bradley and Brentz and the days of runners going 1st to 3rd on spaghetti armed RS outfielders would be over.

In response to dgalehouse's comment:

eaxctly. Bogy would be right behind his natural position of SS. Almost the same view of the field and having a strong arm in LF is needed to turn a wall-ball double into a single.

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In response to BannedOnTheRun-1918's comment:

That's my MO.

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In response to BannedOnTheRun-1918's comment:

That's my MO.

[/QUOTE]

Do you also count on lottery tickets to take care of your retirement?

[/QUOTE]


Retirement? What's that?

In response to Softlaw1's comment:

I'd be very surprised if he saves 10-12 runs a year over Ciriaco. Most of the "elite" plays that Iggy might make will be of little or no consequence to the outcome of a game. Ciriaco has proven he can hit in the majors, Iggy has proved he can't hit in the minors. Ciriaco has versatility, Iggy doesn't. Trade Iggy for a bat-boy....lol

He's had 83 PAs at the major league level. Is it really fair to conclude that he can't hit ML pitching based on that amount?

Give him a full year to see what he can do. I predict if he gets 300+ PAs, his average will be .260 or better.

I'd like to see him bulk up a bit, could help him at the plate. He looks like a twig currently.

In response to Bisson1's comment:

I thought I read somewhere that that was exactly what he was doing this winter.

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In response to Softlaw1's comment:

Every once in awhile you're right.

Pedey hit just .191 after his first 98 PAs. I suppose they should have traded him.

In response to Alibiike's comment:

its not fair to base that he cant hit MLB pitching from 83 ABs. BUT it is fair to conclude he cant hit MLB pitching because he never even learned how to hit AAA pitching..

The LOVE is in the GLOVE!

This guy may be the best fielding SS that Boston has had in a long, long time.  I think that he is even better than Alex Gonzalez. His glove will not keep a first string position by itself, however.

He needs to hit better (obvious, I know), BUT getting him to hit better will only happen if the Red Sox decide to make him into an old time punch and judy hitter.  His large swing needs to be cut down to where he is almost playing pepper to get the ball up the middle in every at bat.  Drving the ball into the air is going to deliver poor results for this young guy

Expecting this guy to hit 10-12 homeruns, drive in 65-70, etc is not the way to go with him.
He needs to concentrate on hitting the ball hard up the middle and become the modern version of a singles hitter.  It is time to forget homeruns and other power numbers to measure this kid to decide if he gets into the lineup.

If he can get a single a game, can learn to bunt for a hit every fourth game and draw a walk every other game he can have a OBP between .325 and .350, and he will hit .250-.265.   Those numbers are not earth shaking, but they are all better than what he showed this season and also enough to give him the starting SS job for a long time.  Figuring, also, that he is going to hit at the bottom of the order he will probably sacrifice once every second game which will be another way to make an offensive contribution.

Becoming a singles hitter he may end up with only 3-5 homeruns and maybe only 40 RBIs by the end of the year even with full time play, but his glove is warranted if he can hit .250.  He is also a good baserunner so he may score 80 runs if he can hit .260 and have the .325-.350 OBP that I predicted.

In the 50s and 60s there were lots of major league middle infielders who made a major league career out of hitting singles who could not even carry Iglesias's glove.  If he can get a hit a game (even if it is just a single) he will well earn his spot in the starting lineup.

In response to Alibiike's comment:

Pedey hit everywhere he played prior to coming to the Sox. Iggy doesn't have the history of being a hitter that Pedey had. Can't compare them.

In response to charliedarling's comment:

This is right on.

The problem with Iggy isn't Iggy, it's many of the fans.

Too many fans/posters on this board have no patience. Some want to give him the job before he's ready and others want to give up on him too soon.

He's still just 22. Has had a couple of seasons in the minors where he missed time with injuries. Why the rush? Let him develop. He could spend two more years in the minors and still be just 24.

I know there's the feeling that the Sox might have held some players down in the minors too much, which might be true to a certain extent, but you don't make up for it by rushing a kid who's not ready.

A 24-year-old rookie isn't old, so I don't see the need with forcing him along. If he's ready next year, at least to the extent where he's a major plus in the field and not a killer blach hole in the lineup, then fine. If he's not, then go with Pedro C. or someone else.

In response to royf19's comment:

Excellent points, it makes a lot of sense to handle him that way. Good post.

In response to SpacemanEephus' comment:

I completely agree, Iggy is a lot younger than Salty but you can only give a player so much time to fully develop their skills before deciding their future.  The time could be running out for both of them unless something drastically changes.  Why some fans have them both penciled into the starting lineup next season is beyond me.
 

We still need another reliable bat in my opinion before even starting one of them.

 

In response to Alibiike's comment:

And Lavarnway played a lot more in MLB than Iglesias did last season and hit .157, slugging .248. While that may indicate he still needs some improvement, I don't hear a lot of people writing him off forever. Neither would I assume just based on the last few weeks of last season that Iggy will only ever be a .100 hitter.

Give him a chance to earn the SS job in spring training (competing against Ciriaco and some solid veteran brought in by free agency or trade); if he doesn't look ready, send him back to the minors for more work. Like Roy said, at his age that would hardly be the end of the world. His glove looks so special that I'm more than willing to be patient for the bat to come around.