Should Brock Holt be in the lineup every day?

When Starling Marte made his debut earlier this year, we discovered two things about relying on rookies at the top of the lineup:

1) They can provide a boost of energy and excitement

and

2) There will be growing pains.

So, given that, does Brock Holt provide this Pirates team with the best chance to win at the top of the lineup? I'll argue the answer is yes.

In a must-win statement game against the Houston Astros (the same Houston Astros who beat the listless Pirates the previous day to extend their losing streak to 4), Brock Holt was the star of the show. Sure, Andrew McCutchen re-took the batting title lead with a four-hit night of his own, but it was the young Holt's four hits that captured the collective imagination of Pirates nation. After weeks of suffering through lineups headed by the likes of Jose Tabata and Alex Presley, this Holt-led offense was humming.

It's no surprise really. Despite a rough outing on Monday, Holt has been rolling all year long. Holt cruised through AA this season posting a .322/.389/.432 line for Altoona; but, that wasn't good enough for the breakout star. Upon his promotion to AAA, he became even hotter...way hotter. In 24 games with Indianapolis, Holt elevated his game to a new level posting an incredible line of .432/.476/.537. Not bad for a guy without much power. He had hitting streaks of 5 games and 10 games in only 24 AAA starts. No one in the organization has been hotter of late.

And that's why he's gotta be playing every day. The team has been struggling to find consistency on offense and Holt may just be the spark plug that this group needs. With Holt setting the table for McCutchen (who's been coming around) and Alvarez (recently named NL Player of the Week), this offense has a real chance to win games for them. Also, when they can get an early lead, it seems to settle the starting pitchers down a bit. Look at Wandy Rodriguez's last two starts as exhibits A and B.

Now, Holt is not well-equipped to play shortstop. He's passable there at best. Until Neil Walker is healthy and in the lineup every day, Holt should be at second base. Every. Day. When Walker is healthy, Holt needs to get some starts at short. Barmes is a nice defensive shortstop, but even with these little spurts of life in his bat, he's a liability at the plate. Use Barmes on days when you've got a pitch-to-contact guy on the mound or as a defensive replacement. We're starting to see that at first base, where Garrett Jones gets the bulk of the at-bats, but Gaby Sanchez often spells him in the latter innings to provide better defense. One thing is for certain, as long as Holt is hitting, he's a must-start. He hustles, he gets on base, he makes good things happen. That kind of all-in attitude, that kind of passionate play is infectious. And the best part about it is he plays under control. You'll see him have much better at-bats than Barmes or even the aforementioned Starling Marte. We all know that Marte has more upside and is the more likely player to become a fixture in future Pirates lineups, but right now, Holt is the guy I want at the top of the lineup as the Pirates fight for their playoff lives.

Is Brock Holt the future at SS for the Pirates?

Brock Holt was drafted in the ninth round of the 2009 first year player draft out of Rice. The Pirates gave him a $125,000 bonus and probably thought his ceiling was as a utility infielder. Still, they've pushed him aggressively through the system and now he is thriving in AAA. He's lean and fast and fits the prototypical mold for a lead-off hitter: he gets on base and can steal bases. He has played primarily at short, but also at second, which might be his ideal position. The real question is, does he have what it takes to be a big-league regular?

Holt started the season in AA Altoona and hit .322 with a .389 OBP and 11 SB in 102 games. With Jordy Mercer becoming a fixture on the Pirates bench, Holt was promoted to AAA, where he has hit for a .423/.446/.577 line in his first 13 games. What's particularly remarkable about that is he showed almost no power to speak of in the lower minors. He still only has three homers combined on the season, but that's in addition to 29 doubles and six triples. Besides power, his defense is often cited as a drawback. He doesn't have the defensive skill at short that someone like Mercer has, but he's quick with a decent arm. He's also not a burner, so he needs to improve his reads if he's going to be effective as a basestealer in the majors. Right now he gets caught about as often as he makes it.

There's a lot to like about Holt as a ballplayer though. He's a lifetime .312 hitter in the minors with a terrific .376 OBP. He has been aggressively pushed through the system and has responded at every single level. He has been a mid-season All-Star every single year. Pirates Prospects had him listed as the 32nd best prospect in the system prior to the season and he's listed as having just missed the Top 20 in their post-trade-deadline update. I've heard some folks compare him to current Pirates utility man Josh Harrison, but Harrison had to exceed expectations just to get to the Bigs; Holt can be even better, though perhaps with less positional flexibility. There's no obvious long-term solution at shortstop for the Pirates, so Holt may eventually get his shot. With second base blocked by Neil Walker and Clint Barmes signed for another season, Holt's immediate future is likely as a utility guy, but it would not surprise me at all if he wrested control of the shortstop job for at least part of the year in 2013. Either way, given how successful he's been of late, he's certainly someone to keep an eye on.