What is the 2B competition looking like less than 2 weeks from opening day?

 David Hamilton jockeying for spot at second base on Red Sox roster

    With Rafael Devers recently putting out the fire on the "third base is mine" debacle, a new hole has opened up at second base for the Red Sox. When Alex Bregman signed with the Red Sox, many suspected he would start at second with Devers making a hard claim for the hot corner. But a delayed start and nagging shoulders mean it looks like Devers has ceded the position and agreed to see some time at DH. This leaves the only hole in the lineup at second base. 

    Last season, Enmanuel Valdez led the team at WAR for second basemen, with a measly -.6 Wins Above Replacement. With Valdez no longer on the roster, the Red Sox have no one rostered who played more than 40 games at the big league level at second base last season. The battle seems to be down to just 3 players, that being Vaughn Grissom, David Hamilton, and Kristian Campbell.

    Coming into camp, Campbell was an early favorite to crack the big league roster in some way. MLB.com's #7 Overall prospect, Campbell was excellent across three minor league levels last year, with a .330/.439/.558 season, including 4 homeruns in 19 AAA games to end the year. So far this spring though, Campbell has struggled to a .167 batting average and 12 strikeouts to just 5 walks in 13 spring training games. It would now seem that Campbell, who has only 70 AAA plate appearances to his name, will, and should, start the year in AAA. 

    That leaves Hamilton and Grissom as the 2 main candidates. Both saw time at second base last season, each starting between 30 and 40 games at the position, but Hamilton was clearly the better players. In 98 games Hamilton hit .248/.303/.395 while adding 32 stolen bases. Hamilton looked poised to finish the year strong after hitting 3 homeruns in his first 19 games in August before a finger fracture ended his year prematurely. Hamilton's ceiling at the plate is likely that of a league average hitter, his 92 WRC+ last year was a welcome surprise, but his ability on the base paths, his sprint-speed ranked in the 94th percentile, should earn him a spot as a utility player for Alex Cora. Hamilton also showed strong defense at second base, with 3 OAA.

    Comparing that to what we saw out of an injury stricken 2024 from Grissom, Hamilton looks like the clear winner. But Grissom has been turning heads in camp this year. After reportedly losing 15 pounds to the flu last April, Grissom struggled to a .190 batting average in just 31 big league games. But, due to the weight loss and the myriad of injuries Grissom dealt with, Cora was quick to write off Grissom's 2024 campaign as a mulligan. In spring training action, Grissom has yet to prove him right, hitting just .200 in 34 plate appearances, but a noticeable increase in muscle and confidence from the still 24 year old has helped his case greatly. 

    Right now, the Red Sox strongest lineup, in my opinion, features David Hamilton at second base with Vaughn Grissom coming off the bench. Ideally, Campbell will tear up AAA and force and early call-up, but as far as opening day goes, the spot seems to be Hamilton's to lose. 

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