The everyday players don't officially have to report until Saturday, but the first debate of the spring is raging.
And that debate is: Can the Red Sox use Jose Iglesias as their starting shortstop?
Defensively, he's ready. Listen to Lou Merloni, who calls Iglesias "the best defensive shortstop in baseball. Period. Right now . . . I asked veteran infielder Nick Punto, 'What do you think of this kid?' He says, 'He's the best I've ever seen.' "
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SIGN UP HERE But offensively? As Sean McAdam points out, Iglesias' 2011 season at Pawtucket -- a .235 batting average, a .285 on-base percentage, a .554 OPS -- indicates that he's not ready for prime time. When asked if the Sox could afford to carry a shortstop that can't hit at all, new manager Bobby Valentine responded: "Probably not. My fast brain says probably not."
And the Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy doesn't think the Sox can afford to simply plop Iglesias in the lineup, offense be damned . . . just as much for what it will do to Iglesias in the long term as it will do to the Sox. "I worry about, and I think the Red Sox worry about, really breaking a guy's spirit, trying to hit major-league pitching when you haven't proven you can hit minor-league pitching," said Shaughnessy.
Settle in. Sounds like this is a debate that's going to rage all spring.