Daniel Nava's MLB career started with fireworks. After he was called up from Pawtucket to help with a rather unpleasant outfield situation in Boston Nava walked to the plate for his first MLB at bat with the words of Red Sox broadcaster Joe Castiglione ringing in his head. "Swing as hard as you can on your first pitch because it is the only pitch you are going to see" Castigleone said. Nava listened.
On the first pitch of his first at bat in the major leagues, Daniel Nava hit a grand slam becoming only the 4th player in MLB history to do so.
But as he would soon prove, Daniel Nava was not just a kid who got lucky on his first pitch. In a total of 60 games in 2010, he committed no errors then logged 14 doubles that he scrounged up using his unexpected speed and agility on the base paths. 2 years later, he played 28 more games nearly doubling his hit output and clubbing 6 home runs in a season where he bounced around defensively for the Sox. Though he played primarily left field, Nava suited up for 4 games in right and revived a pretty decent brand of simple defense and stellar play in the unpredictable portions of Fenway Park that lie in and around the Green Monster.
In the eyes of the Boston Red Sox, Nava's drive to succeed in the lost season that was 2012, effectively earned him a spot in the starting lineup for the upcoming season. Once again when presented with that opportunity, Nava did not disappoint. He exhibited durability over the course of 134 starts, hitting 12 home runs, 66 RBI's and assembling a batting average of .303. After his performance in 2013, Daniel Nava who had once been a minor league castaway turned so-so utility man had suddenly become an all-star.
As the Red Sox prepared their title defense in 2014, many saw Nava as a guy who could definitely knock Jackie Bradley Jr out of a job at center field or at the very least draw huge returns on the trade market. A little over 2 months into the season, one might forget that the Red Sox are the reigning champions. 1 huge reason why is because Daniel Nava has been nothing like the man we had come to know. After missing out on starting on Opening Day, Nava came to the team and stayed on the active roster from April 2nd to April 22nd. In that time he mustered just 10 hits, struck out 17 times and assembled his worst monthly batting average of his career (.161). Nava made it back to the big club for just 7 days in March and yet his fortunes were no better. Aside from a walk, Nava failed to make it on base in that span. But after seeing what he had done in years past, the Sox were not ready for the grand demotion of Daniel Nava quite yet. So far in June he has played 5 games, logged 6 hits but failed to bat in a run. After a 1 for 2 night in Baltimore on the 9th of June, Nava's season batting average stood at the dismal plateau of .174.
In the worst season of Daniel Nava's baseball career, the 31 year old protégée is doing nothing to help his team. Unfortunately neither is anybody else in Boston. In a season where Shane Victorino and Mike Napoli both went down early in the season, the struggles of Boston's outfielders have only made things worse. After Grady Seizmore's play seemed to promise greatness in the early days of this season, his struggles at the plate have made his presence intolerable. Shane Victorino's torn up hamstring has cost him 42 games this year while call-ups such as Jackie Bradley Jr. have done nothing to ease his absence.
But amidst this brutal stew of out fielding deficiencies, Johnny Gomes has been above the rest in the ghastly qualities of his 2014 season. Though he has been barking all year about various things, Gomes has been unable to do anything in the field or at the plate having logged just 5 home runs, 0 pinch hit base hits and a defensive WAR below 0. But for some reason, the Red Sox have stuck by him.
Perhaps the only positive that has come from the 2014 Red Sox rotation of personnel has been Brock Holt. At 25 years old, Holt played 26 games for the Sox last season without many fireworks. However, in the absence of so many key pieces in the Sox lineup Holt has come in to save the day, starting 29 games, smacking 12 extra base hits and playing decent defense at 1st and 3rd base as well as left field.
63 games into the season, many are already labeling 2014 as a lost year for Boston. With their outfield responsible for a large portion of these few months of directionless baseball the Sox need to make big changes or be forced to deal with an off season similar in feeling to that that followed 2012.
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