FORT MYERS, Fla. - In case Red Sox weren't already excited about the prospects of Trevor Story coming to down, along comes Derek Holland.
The veteran hurler - who is trying to make the Sox' as a reliever on a minor-league deal - has spent the last three offseasons working out with Story in the Dallas area.
What does Holland think of the infielder? Listening to the lefty hurler, there isn't much room for intreperation when it comes to Story's existence.
"I can say this for the Red Sox fans, first of all, I’m honored that I get to play alongside this guy," Holland told WEEI.com. "Being around him, watching him train and everything, the kid is an animal. These guys should be very excited for him. Watching him with his glove work, his hitting … He is very impressive. It’s something this fan base should definitely be excited about. And hearing that he is willing to switch to second base, that’s huge. It shows you the type of player that he is. He has a huge heart. He cares about his team. He cares about his teammates. He is going to do everything he can to represent this city very well. There is no bad thing you can truly say about this guy. He is going to give you everything he can. He busts his ass. He works his ass off. He’s a competitor. He’s a fighter. He’s ready to go."
Holland originally hails from Columbus, Ohio, but has taken up roots in the Dallas area after spending the majority of his career with the Rangers. It's what led him to join Story at the Apex Training Facility.
"Playing against him during COVID, when we did our own little COVID camp, I mean the kid can just hit," Holland said. "It’s impressive. I don’t want to say what he did because he pretty much embarrassed me - a lot of people have - but he’s something to be very excited about. I promise you he is going to back it up.
"He can hit for power. He can get on base. He can move runners over. He does the things that you want to see a productive guy do. He will get you the long ball, but he will also get you the base hits that are needed, working the other way. He’s a very smart hitter."