Deven Marrero

Opportunity knocked for Marrero to contribute as a utility player for prolonged stretches of 2017, but the value he offered the Red Sox was limited to his work with the glove at multiple positions. Over the last three years, Marrero has racked up 258 plate appearances in Boston, with the bulk of those coming last season, but he's had trouble making contact at the same clip as he did throughout his time in the minors, when he typically carried a strikeout rate near or below 20 percent. To date, he's fanned in 32.9 percent of his plate appearances, and with a .208/.259/.309 line for his career, he's hardly a lock to remain a bench player for the Red Sox in 2018. If he controls the strike zone more effectively and puts more balls in play, Marrero could have some AL-only league appeal thanks to his ability to steal bases (career 7-for-8 in stolen-base attempts), but he's little more than a reserve round consideration as a roster filler at this point.

Marrero's bat has been holding him back since he entered the minor leagues in 2012, and there is perhaps no better example of that than the 2016 season. His Triple-A Pawtucket slash line of .198/.245/.242 over 388 plate appearances in 96 games isn't good, but he earned a promotion to the big leagues nonetheless, where he didn't fare well at all. He made 14 plate appearances in 13 games, getting just one hit, which resulted in a .083 average. His MLB sample size is obviously small, but he is a career .246 hitter in the minor leagues. He can play the field decently, having spent time at second base, third base and shortstop in 2016, but that may not be enough to earn him a spot with the Red Sox, unless the volatile hot corner crop falters. Marrero underwent arthroscopic elbow surgery in mid-November, but he is expected to be ready for spring training. Even if he earns a big league spot at some point, he won't have much value in most fantasy leagues.

Marrero reached the major leagues in 2015, playing 25 games for the under-performing Red Sox. He didn’t hit much for Boston, posting a .226 batting average in 56 plate appearances over a few stints in the majors. He carried his weight at the plate for Triple-A Pawtucket, hitting .256 with a late-summer spike before his final callup in September. With his already advanced glove, Marrero will have a starting job if he can hit .250-.260 in the majors. Marrero’s best spot is shortstop – that’s the most efficient use of his defense – but the presence of Xander Bogaerts at the major-league level has forced Marrero to diversify into second and third base the last two years. He played mostly third for Boston in his cameo. With Brock Holt around, the utility infield role is not an option for Marrero. He’ll head back to Pawtucket, where he’ll get plenty of reps at shortstop, that is if he’s not dealt over the winter.

Marrero is a slick-fielding shortstop who is major-league ready in the field and is starting to show promise at the plate. He slashed a career-high .291/.371/.433 in 68 games at Double-A Portland before a July promotion to Triple-A Pawtucket. He struggled at the advanced level, but his showing at Portland was well beyond expectations. Can he improve the second time around at Triple-A, similar to his adjustment at Double-A? That's ultimately what the Red Sox will be looking for in 2015. He currently projects as a major league shortstop that hits in the bottom third of the order, but there's gap-power potential in bat. He'll open the season at Triple-A Pawtucket, and it will be interesting to see if he is able to push Xander Bogaerts off of shortstop, though Marrero may wind up getting traded following the addition of Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez in November.

Marrero didn't put up alluring numbers in his first full season of pro ball, slashing .252/.338/.317 in stops at High-A Salem and Double-A Portland in 2013. However, he continued to display outstanding defensive skills, rating as the best infield arm and defender according to Baseball America, and earning himself the organizational title as the system's top baserunner (25-for-27 on stolen-base attempts). Marrero has a nice swing and manages the strike zone, but how much offense he develops is the big question. If he can make contact, develop line drive power, and sustain an average in the .260-.270 range, he projects as a starting major league shortstop. There's an organizational logjam at middle infield with Marrero, Mookie Betts and Sean Coyle all vying for at-bats at Double-A Portland. Look for some sort of SS/2B/DH platoon among the three, but Marrero's ticket to the bigs is his defense at short.

Marrero, Boston's first-round pick in 2012, hit better than expected at short-season Lowell in 2012. The 22-year-old is considered a plus defender who will likely remain a middle infielder. He showed a good eye at the plate, made consistent contact and flashed some speed on the bases. His challenge in the coming years is to sustain the offense we saw in 2012.