Countdown to Sox Spring: Three potential surprises

This BSJ series is designed to get you ready for spring training. 

TODAY: Potential surprises in camp

For contending teams, spring training can be a foregone conclusion. That applies to the Red Sox, even with all the uncertainty surrounding their will-they-or-won’t-they pursuit of free agent J.D. Martinez.

On the surface, there aren’t a lot of jobs up for grabs as the start of spring training draws ever closer. Sure, there are injuries that can’t be forecast.  But for the most part, the Red Sox are returning a roster that very clearly resembles the one they had in late July – before they added Addison Reed and Eduardo Nunez.

Still, there could be some surprises. Here are three potential ones:

1) Marco Hernandez

Hernandez missed most of last season due to a shoulder injury that required surgery, but is fully recovered now. He’ll be among a group competing for playing time at second base, where Dustin Pedroia is expected to miss the first six weeks -- at minimum -- recovering from off-season surgery on his knee.

Others in the mix include Brock Holt, Tzu-Wei Lin and Deven Marrero. Holt, of course, has more experience, but he had a poor offensive season last year, likely the result of vertigo and other concussion-related symptoms. Marrero and Lin are better defensive options, but neither has shown much with the bat.

Hernandez might have the most offensive upside of the four. The Red Sox are intrigued by his potential. If he can demonstrate that he can handle the defensive demands of the position, he might be able to claim second until Pedroia returns. And even when Pedroia returns, he’ll need time off, creating more playing time for someone.

Hernandez might not be as versatile as Holt, who has played seven different positions over the last few years. But if Hernandez can handle third, short and second, he could make himself very useful for the 2018 Red Sox.

2) Blake Swihart

Swihart is out of options, meaning the Red Sox have to either find a way to get him onto the Opening Day roster or risk losing him on waivers should they try to send to him Pawtucket. Given his value as a switch-hitting, athletic catcher capable of playing other positions, there’s zero chance he'd go unclaimed. And the Sox have turned back a number of trade inquiries on Swihart this winter, further highlighting his value.

That begs the question: What do the Red Sox do with him? Christian Vazquez seems poised to win the starting catching job, leaving Sandy Leon as his trusted backup. It’s conceivable the Sox could deal Leon during spring training and save themselves about $1.5 million -- the difference between Leon will get paid this year and what Swihart expects to be paid. That would come with some risk, however, since the Sox would leave themselves thin behind the plate in the event of injury.

It’s far more likely that Swihart gets utilized at other positions (third, first or left field). The key will be his ability to contribute offensively. If he can do that, he’ll earn playing time and perhaps even put himself in position to reclaim his status as the team’s catcher of the future.

3) Michael Chavis

Let’s say that, for the sake of this exercise, the Red Sox don’t make any major moves before the start of the regular season. And let’s say Chavis, a non-roster invitee, mashes the ball in Grapefruit League action and illustrates how helpful he can be to a 25-man roster.

Remember, Chavis was drafted as a shortstop and moved to third in the lower minors before getting some opportunities to play first in the Arizona Fall League. So, he’s already demonstrated his versatility. In this day and age, teams place great value on players who are adaptable and can help out at several positions.

It’s true Chavis has yet to compete above Double A, and would likely benefit from either returning to Portland or starting the year in Pawtucket.  But recall that the Sox have been unafraid to go with two prospects in the last two seasons -- one of whom (Andrew Benintendi) never played an inning above Double A and another (Rafael Devers) who was at Triple A for all of 10 days before being promoted to big leagues. And both have done just fine.

A longshot? Sure. But Chavis has a great hit tool and could be utilized in a number of different ways (platoon partner at third, in the mix at first, backup shortstop). Stranger things have happened.