2B competition commences in Grapefruit League opener

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- The most interesting position battle for the Red Sox this spring, second base, got out of the starting gate in Saturday¡¯s Grapefruit League opener, a 6-4 win over the Rays, as the main contestants were all in the game in different capacities.

Kristian Campbell, the people¡¯s choice -- as top prospects usually are -- came off the bench and made a diving snare of a line drive in the bottom of the seventh inning.

David Hamilton actually played shortstop in this one, but he displayed his value immediately by drawing a walk and stealing a base to open the game.

Vaughn Grissom was supposed to be Boston¡¯s starting second baseman last year, but he started at a deficit with leg injuries before Spring Training even started.

After not playing in any Spring Training games last year, Grissom got the start in the first game. He looks noticeably stronger.

¡°Totally different,¡± Grissom said. ¡°I came in last offseason and I was hurt a little bit and underweight probably from what I was used to, and just trying to deal with things and get by, really. Now I feel a lot stronger. I feel like my body's underneath me. I have good weight, just strong and quick and all the good things. It feels good.¡±

Red Sox manager Alex Cora is going to enjoy watching the competition play out, and seeing how the players respond to it.

¡°We¡¯ll see how it goes,¡± Cora said. ¡°Today, it [started]. We had 1-on-1 meetings this morning with some of them. We¡¯re going to keep doing that the rest of the week but they know it's an open competition, and we'll take the best one to Texas [for Opening Day].¡±

The case for Campbell

Campbell¡¯s prospect ranking (No. 7 in MLB Pipeline¡¯s Top 100) makes it evident he has the most upside in this derby.

But that doesn¡¯t mean he is ready. Campbell has just 19 games and 70 at-bats at Triple-A Worcester and was drafted out of Georgia Tech less than two years ago.

Then again, he might be ready. The Red Sox have little doubt in his offensive ability. For Campbell to win the job, he¡¯ll have to have a sound camp on defense.

¡°He¡¯s moving well,¡± said Cora. ¡°He had a great day early in camp, he was working on his double play turns and all that. He's moving faster now with the turns.¡±

The case for Grissom

Though it seems like he¡¯s been around for a while, Grissom is 24 years old, and this might be the season he¡¯s ready to put it all together.

Given that the Red Sox traded Chris Sale for Grissom, they¡¯d love to get some return on their investment.

Despite all the hype that surrounds Campbell, the Red Sox haven¡¯t lost faith in Grissom after one injury-plagued season.

¡°This guy is a hitter. He¡¯s hit his whole career,¡± said Cora. ¡°Just go out there, get your hits, play good defense and he¡¯s moving well. Saw him today taking groundballs. Making adjustments. He¡¯s a little more explosive so that¡¯s going to help.¡±

Grissom was enthused by the directness from Cora.

¡°'Go win the job,' that¡¯s what he told me, that there¡¯s an opportunity to win it,¡± Grissom said. ¡°That¡¯s all he said to me. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll talk more, as Spring Training gets going.¡±

The case for Hamilton

The left-handed-hitting Hamilton started to make his case last year when injuries to Trevor Story and Grissom opened up playing time for him. Hamilton, probably the fastest player in the organization, stole 33 bases last year, but needs to improve on his .698 OPS.

To that end, Hamilton gained some muscle in the offseason while maintaining his speed.

¡°I like where I'm at right now,¡± Hamilton said. ¡°So hopefully I can just keep the weight up and try to stay as fresh as possible. That was my biggest worry was gaining weight and losing speed. But I ran a lot this offseason, and I feel like I maintained it, if not a tick faster.¡±

Hamilton figures to make the team either way, as he would be a valuable player off the bench with his speed and defensive versatility.

The wild card

The entire competition would go up in flames if the Red Sox decide to keep Rafael Devers at third base. In that case, free-agent acquisition Alex Bregman would move to second base with Masataka Yoshida filling the DH spot. Obviously there are a lot of moving parts. And also over a month until Opening Day for things to play out.