Daniel Nava

Nava hoped to rebound in 2016 following a disastrous 2015 season where he hit .194 in 60 games with Tampa Bay and Boston. While his 2016 season with the Angels and Royals was better, it wasn’t nearly the comeback season he would have hoped. He slashed .223/.297/.292 with one home run, 13 RBI and seven extra base hits. He struggled to draw walks, as his walk rate dropped to a career-low 6.8 percent, far below his 12 percent walk rate in 2015. His isolated power also dropped to .069 and he struck out 20.3 percent of the time, which does not bode well for increasing pinch-hit opportunities. A former .300 hitter for the Red Sox in 2013, he'll probably find a minor league contract and try to earn a big league spot due to his defensive versatility and past offensive successes, though he’ll be 34 in February.

A year ago, Nava looked like a competent bench bat in Boston that was worth keeping around due to his switch-hitting. His 2015 season changed that. He was brutally bad to begin the year in Boston, hitting .152/.260/.182 in 78 plate appearances before hitting the DL with a thumb injury and then getting designated for assignment a week after his activation. He saw his performance tick up in Tampa Bay, hitting .233/.364/.301 in 88 plate appearances, but still nowhere near his 2013 and 2014 seasons. He signed a one-year deal with the Angels this offseason -- one of the few teams in baseball with an opening in the outfield that Nava could realistically fill. Look for him to open the year in the strong side of a platoon with Craig Gentry, although it is highly unlikely he performs well enough to be useful in mixed leagues.

Nava, coming off a career year in 2013, appeared poised to claim a bigger role in 2014 with the loss of Jacoby Ellsbury and following Shane Victorino's hamstring injury. He opened the season as the starting right fielder and leadoff hitter, but went immediately into a slump. He was sent down to Triple-A Pawtucket in late April with a .140 batting average. After two months, he returned to Boston and was their best hitter from June through September, hitting .308 with a .379 on-base percentage. In a righty-heavy lineup, Nava provides some left-handed balance, though there will likely be fewer opportunities for him in what has become a very crowded Boston outfield.

Nava played a career-high 134 games in 2013 and didn't experience a drop off in production throughout the season as he had in previous stints with Boston. As a matter of fact, he was among the top 20 in batting average and on-base percentage. Nava also added position flexibility by playing first base and gives manager John Farrell an indispensable tool when making out a lineup. The switch-hitting Nava was deployed in seven different spots in the batting order. The sustained offensive production and improved defensive skills makes Nava an important cog heading into 2014. Depending on how the Red Sox address the loss of Jacoby Ellsbury in center field, Nava could move into a full-time starting role as a right-fielder.

For the second time in three seasons, Nava gave the Red Sox an unexpected lift. He started off very well by hitting .302 with an .896 OPS in May and June, before slumping in July and sustaining a wrist injury in August. The Red Sox understand that Nava cannot be exposed in the starting lineup for a long stretch of time, so at best, he will hook on as a fourth or fifth outfielder. The offseason additions of Jonny Gomes and Shane Victorino pushes Nava further down the outfield depth chart. There are still moving parts to Boston's outfield situation: will Jacoby Ellsbury be around all of 2013? Will they sign another outfielder beyond Gomes and Victorino? Plus, there is competition between Nava and Ryan Kalish for a depth job. The organization appreciates his professional effort, a trait in little supply on this franchise the last couple of years, and he has improved his defense. Optimally, for Boston, Nava is serving in a backup role.

The Daniel Nava story -- from Independent League player to hitting a grand slam on his first major-league pitch -- was one of the nicer moments for the Red Sox in 2010, but that's likely the final chapter for him in Boston. He's certainly hit at every minor league stop and started that way in Boston, but major league pitchers eventually figured him out, as Nava hit just .185 (.235 slugging) following the All-Star break. If the Red Sox avoid the outfield injuries they sustained in 2010, Nava will not be on the active roster in 2011.

Nava, an undrafted free agent that toiled in the independent leagues, has worked his way up to Triple-A at age 27. His slight build has worked against him every step of the way, but Nava has done nothing but hit since joining the Red Sox organization, though he's always been 2-3 years older than the competition. Heading into 2010, Nava needs to put some polish on his outfield defense and become more consitent from both sides of the plate (he's a switch hitter).