On his defense at second base: "I'm happy with the progress I've made, but there's still work to do. I've improved fundamentally, from routine balls to tougher plays to double play-turns. I did a lot of extra work this year, going out early with Luis Alicea to take balls before batting practice. I did the same with Eppy (Chad Epperson) in Wilmington. I didn’t really focus on any one thing. Everything needed to be tightened up. Another thing I made real strides with is my confidence, which I lacked early in the year. The extra work, plus getting a lot of reps at game speed, helped me improve that. It’s an important part of the game."
On what his spray-chart looked like, and where he likes to hit in the batting order: "I'm guessing that I was mostly an up-the-middle/pull guy. But that's fine, because I'm on top of the plate and get around on the ball pretty well. But I'll go the other way, too, especially when I'm hitting in the 2-hole. That might be where I hit best in the line-up, although I could see myself being a lead-off guy because I'll draw walks and can get on base. Where I am down the road is up to the Red Sox, though. It's not my call."
On hitting at Frawley Stadium in Wilmington: "I'm not the type of guy to make excuses, but it was tough. The gaps aren't hitter-friendly, and the ball doesn't carry well there. You'll get into a pitch, and instead of finding the gap it will hang up and guys will run it down. You try not to let it happen, but that can get in your head. As a hitter, you see pitchers throwing well and don't go up there with the same confidence you might in another park. The atmosphere is definitely different."
On hitting 17 home runs between Greenville (10) and Wilmington (7): "If you take pitches and get into your count, a lot of guys can hit with some power. If you're ahead 3-1, you can sit on something and take a more aggressive swing. A year ago I hit a lot of doubles, and this season some of those balls became home runs because I had added about five or ten pounds of muscle. Still, I'll be the first one to tell you that I'm not a power hitter. I'm more of a gap hitter with a little pop."
On adjusting to better pitching at a higher level: "I think it depends on the hitter. Jacoby Ellsbury was telling me that for some guys, Double-A will be tougher because they don't have enough plate discipline and will get eaten alive. But he said that for guys like me and Corso (Jeff Corsaletti), who handle the strike zone pretty well, it isn't that big of a jump. The pitchers are better in Double-A, but they're also around the plate more. With some guys in A-ball, they have good stuff but you don't know if it's going to be over the plate or over your head."
On being presented with the organization's Minor League Hitter of the Year award at Fenway Park: "It was a real adrenaline rush to be out there, especially with the Pesky Pole being dedicated the same night. I was in awe of that. I had been on the field at Fenway before, but it's a different feeling when you're in the organization and know that you have a chance to play there one day. You have that dream."