Farrell sees offensive improvement from Iglesias

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- If Jose Iglesias had proved he could hit at the Major League level during his trial run late last season, the Red Sox likely would not have acquired Stephen Drew. But to Iglesias' credit, he hasn't moped about the situation. Instead, he continues to work.

"He's a little more narrow in his base; he's a little bit more upright," said manager John Farrell. "It's allowed him to see the ball better, and I really think free up his swing. He got deep in his crouch over time, and I think it kind of caused him to work against his body a little bit, but the fact that he's upright in that stance, he feels like he's able to hit the ball with a little bit more authority to wherever it's pitched in the zone. We're looking forward to seeing that play out here."

Barring an injury to Drew, Iglesias will be back at Triple-A once the season starts.

"The thing that a young player always has to battle is his timeframe and the organization's timeframe," Farrell said. "They might not always align. This is a case in point. The one thing we like is that he believes in himself and feels like he's ready to be an everyday Major League player. But yet some of the adjustments he's made at the plate, he's doing the necessary things to bring along the offensive side and see how that continues to develop."

When the offseason began, general manager Ben Cherington at least left open the possibility Iglesias would have a chance to be the starting shortstop. But the decision was ultimately made to get a far more established player in Drew.

"Well, there was some uncertainty to the offensive production with Jose. That's not to say that in time he doesn't become a solid Major League offensive performer," said Farrell. "We felt like we needed more of a known commodity from an offensive side. That's what brought Stephen to us, but that doesn't mean we're not believing in Jose and knowing that he has tremendous ability, and certainly Major League ready now on the defensive side. It's a matter of his continued development of a hitter."