The Red Sox have a new utility infielder
Who is he and where did he come from?
He’s Zack Short, and he comes to us from the scenic Hudson River Valley by way of Sacred Heart University. With a career total of -0.3 bWAR, Short is the most successful baseball player in the history of the Sacred Heart Pioneers program, which is a pretty cool thing to be, IMO.
What position does he play?
Almost all of them! In a brief MLB career that only began in 2021, Short has managed to play every position on the diamond except for catcher and left field. He is primarily an infielder, however, and he certainly wasn’t brought here for the 78 ERA+ he’s accumulated in his six innings on the mound.
Is he any good?
I sort of spoiled this one when I mentioned that career -0.3 bWAR, huh?
The fact that Short is in the Majors at all is pretty surprising given his background. Not only is Short the only MLB player to ever come out of Sacred Heart, but he wasn’t even any kind of superstar in college, where he hit .290/.398/.447 with 17 homers in 171 games. Those are strong numbers — until you consider that he was playing against Long Island University and Merrimack in the Northeast Conference. He didn’t exactly light up the minor leagues either, with a career OPS of .774 in parts of seven minor league seasons with the Cubs and Tigers.
But the good new is that .774 OPS was fueled by some legitimate on-base skills. Short is a very patient hitter who walks a lot. In fact, his 88 walks in 128 AAA games in 2022 were second in the International League — that’s approaching Kevin-Youkilis-in-Portland territory. Unfortunately, Short hasn’t been able to translate those on-base skills to the big level yet, where he has a career OBP of just .265, nor does he complement them with any power or decent contact skills. But hey, those minor league walks are something to build on, hopefully.
He’s also a relatively fast runner who’s stolen eight bags while only being caught once in the Majors, and he displays and steady and versatile glove, though not a particularly outstanding one.
Show me a cool highlight.
Look, grand slams are always cool . . . even if they happen in the 8th inning of a Spring Training game.
What’s he doing in his picture up there?
Doing the “can you touch the base?” drill that the Red Sox coaching staff recently incorporated to team try-outs.
What’s his role on the 2024 Red Sox?
He’s here to be Pablo Reyes, but hopefully a little bit better.