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Before and after: Brock Holt's transformation from Pittsburgh Pirates no-name to budding Boston Red Sox star.

(Associated Press)

(This is Part 2 of our two-part feature on Brock Holt: Click here to see Part 1.)

Less than three years after hanging up his baseball cleats following an 11-year professional career, Nate Field sat in the stands at a Double-A game in New Britain, Conn., and took notes.

Field, 38, had retired from baseball in 2009 and took a job as a scout for the Boston Red Sox watching minor leaguers roll in and out of the New England area and filing reports, many of which would never be looked at.

“We see so many players over the course of the year, there are times you go a whole year and all the guys you see, nothing ever happens,” Field said.

For three games in August 2012, Field watched Altoona (a Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate) play against New Britain (Minnesota Twins), getting a close look at Aaron Hicks, Oswaldo Arcia and Gerrit Cole, among others. He filed reports to the Red Sox’s front office, like he always does, in case they’re looking at a trade with the Pirates or Twins and need a trained eye to tell the story behind the statistics.

At this point in the season, a 24-year-old infielder named Brock Holt was hitting .317 and leading off for Altoona. He wasn’t on any prospect rankings or must-watch sheets, but Field filed a glowing report anyway, rattling off his attributes: Baseball player, great instincts, great effort, loves the game, advanced approach at the minor-league level.

“You don’t see the home runs,” he said, “but there’s something that draws you to him, makes you watch a little bit closer.”

Field submitted his reports and didn’t hear much about them for a few months.

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Holt hit .202 in his first month as a professional in 2009, feeling like he might be overmatched and should’ve gone back to college. As he had done throughout his career, he quickly put the doubts aside and found a way to feel enjoyment out of the game, something his coaches have always noticed.

He made adjustments at the plate and finished the season with a .299 average.

In the process of an up-and-down season, Holt fell in love with the Pirates’ organization, making some of his best friends (Pirates' first-rounder Tony Sanchez would later be a groomsman in Holt's wedding). Holt hoped he’d be there forever.

“The only guys I knew in professional baseball, they were there,” he said. “They knew what I liked, what I didn’t like. I knew everyone’s name, they all knew my name.”

His family lived near Arlington, Texas where they had been fans of the Texas Rangers, but they quickly switched allegiances.

Even as he struggled early on, Holt's passion for the game showed as a pro. The hits soon followed. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

“We all became Pirates fans,” said Holt’s sister Shelby.

But the road for Brock wasn't paved. A ninth-round pick, roads only opened when he forced them. He had to hit .351 over a full year at High-A Bradenton in 2010 before he was moved to Double-A Altoona in 2011, where he hit .288. The next year, he started in Altoona again.

“I think guys get a little bit more leeway and opportunity the higher you’re drafted and more money they give you because teams have to justify their pick and show it was a good one,” he said. “But once you’re in pro ball everyone has a similar opportunity. If you perform and play well, they’ll keep you and you’ll keep moving up.

“Once in you’re in pro ball, anybody has a shot.”

In 2012, Holt had finally proved himself to the front office in Pittsburgh. He hit .322 in Double-A and was quickly promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis, where he hit .432 over 24 games until the Pirates had seen enough.

Holt made his major league debut on Sept. 1, 2012, in a pinch-hitting appearance. He drew a walk and scored a run. In the starting lineup the next three games, Holt went 6-for-13.

He finished the year with a .292 average with the big league club and thought he was on top of the world. Months later, his world turned upside down.

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In December 2012, when only ashes remained from a disastrous Red Sox season, general manager Ben Cherington was looking at his roster and mapping out a plan. The Red Sox had finished with 69 wins while their historically bad team crumbled behind a pitching staff that ranked 27th in the majors with a 4.70 ERA.

In the bullpen, the Red Sox had no closer. It was their first year without Jonathan Papelbon and they led the American League with 22 blown saves.

Enough of that, Cherington thought, and targeted Joel Hanrahan from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The focal point of the trade that brought Brock Holt to Boston was then-Pirates reliever Joel Hanrahan, who had a short stay in Boston.

“We had interest in Hanrahan going back two or three years, back when he was in Washington,” Cherington said. “When it got to the point of thinking about moving him, we had already had quite a bit of conversation.”

Hanrahan was coming off back-to-back All-Star appearances. While the Red Sox were believers, the Pirates were looking to shed his salary, just over $7 million, and use that money elsewhere. “And I think they were wise in doing this,” Cherington said.

In return, the Pirates wanted Mark Melancon, the former Houston Astros closer who had a 6.20 ERA out of the Red Sox’s bullpen in 2012. He had been acquired from the Astros in a trade for Jed Lowrie the year before.

“We liked Mark a lot, but thought he might benefit from a change in scenery,” Cherington said. “And they did a good job of identifying him as a good buy-low target.”

But Hanrahan-for-Melancon straight up wouldn’t work. Melancon hadn’t yet reached salary arbitration and was still playing for close to the league minimum. Additional players would have to be involved.

The Pirates top prospects – Sanchez, Jameson Taillon, Gregory Polanco, etc. – were off limits.

Cherington turned to scouting director Jared Porter, who dug up some files on Pirates prospects and came across a report from Field on a 5-foot-9, 180-pound infielder.

Porter phoned Field and asked him for everything he knew about Brock Holt.

Field then converted the entire front office into believers.

“He had a really good report,” Cherington said. “This was right before Brock got to the big leagues for the first time. Nate had conviction.

“We just felt that his hitting approach would play in the big leagues. It was a very simple approach, compact swing, and he had some sneaky pop, played the game right, did a lot of little things that help a team. Nate felt like his value was more than numbers.

“It’s easy to see a guy like that in the minor leagues and sort of write him off as a utility player. A lot of guys that look like that get labeled like that. And Nate just felt like the combination of his offensive approach and his versatility, his instincts, the way he played the game, made him potentially more valuable than that. Nate had a lot of conviction so we ended up focusing on him. “

After working his way through the minors, Holt only had a brief stint with the Pirates before being traded to Boston. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

The Pirates liked Holt at second base, but had been playing him at shortstop in anticipation of moving him around as a utility player. The Red Sox, who saw something more, were insistent on adding Holt in the trade.

“Boston wanted him,” said Pirates general manager Neal Huntington. “When Boston came at us as aggressively as they did, we felt like it was a reasonable player for us to add back to the deal to get Melancon and (right-hander Stolmy) Pimentel. Holt was an important part of the deal for them.”

The day after Christmas, Holt was traded to the Red Sox along with Hanrahan in exchange for Melancon, Pimentel, Jerry Sands and Ivan De Jesus.

Field, who had less than three years of scouting experience under his belt, had risked his reputation on Holt’s ability.

“To the scout’s credit, when a guy is smaller in stature it does take a little bit more of a leap of faith to put a good report in on him and have conviction,” Cherington said.

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Holt was devastated when he got the news. It took him four years to prove himself to the Pirates and they gave up on him, he thought.

“I was excited about the new opportunity, getting to come to the Red Sox, play for the organization, but it was like, ‘Man, I thought I was doing well with the Pirates,’” he said.

His first year in the Red Sox’s organization, in his mind, was a disaster. He started out slow in Triple-A Pawtucket and never got hot, finishing with the lowest batting average (.258), on-base percentage (.327) and slugging percentage (.309) of his career.

He was putting too much pressure on himself, trying to shed his reputation of being a small second baseman all over again. It was getting exhausting.

“You get down on yourself and just try to overdo it instead of doing what you’ve been doing,” said his sister Shelby.

While Holt was visibly frustrated during the season, his family noticed a difference that off-season after something special happened: Holt got married.

His wife, Lakyn, was a Pennsylvania native and met Holt during his time in the minors. They were married on Nov. 9, 2013.

Holt (above, caught in the rundown) had hoped to crack the Red Sox lineup in spring training. It didn't happen, but his breakthrough was only a matter of time. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)

Holt showed up to spring training this past February with a smile ear-to-ear. He thought he’d make the Red Sox’s roster out of spring training and was in competition to be the team’s utility infielder, but lost to Jonathan Herrera and was sent back to Pawtucket.

He was disappointed, just like he was when the Pirates traded him, but didn’t let it bother him this time. He was noticeably more relaxed, crediting his wife for much of that.

“All I have to worry about is coming to the field and playing baseball; she takes are of everything else,” he said. “She’s awesome.”

“So supportive,” Shelby Holt explained. “He’s at the field all the time and that’s a hard life because she’s in charge of everything else. He just wants to play baseball.”

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Two days before the 2014 All-Star break, Holt’s family, close friends and others who claim to be friends are packed into a half-dozen rows stretching across sections 113 and 114 in Minute Maid Park in Houston. Most wear t-shirts that say “PARTY LIKE A BROCKSTAR” with a red “B” inside of a star.

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Members of the Holt fan club rise and fall on every pitch. His mom, GayLynn, was caught dancing on the NESN broadcast after Holt had a leadoff home run. There’s no embarrassment from this group, only pride.

"It's funny, I don't get as nervous as I used to but he's playing so many positions," said his sister, a nurse at UT Southwestern. "The first time he played left field I walked into a room in the hospital and my patients were watching the game. Brock made a good catch and I started jumping up and down. I'm like, 'He knows how to play outfield!'"

The Red Sox recalled Holt from the minors on May 17 and expected him to hit, but not to the tune of a team-leading .321 average. They expected him to play average defense at third base, a position he just learned this season, not above-average defense at seven different positions like he has.

The entire season has seemed like a dream. Even the Red Sox wonder if it’s real.

"Did I think he was going to do what he’s doing right now? Probably not to this magnitude," Field said last week.

Cherington might be the happiest of them all, watching Holt plug holes around the diamond in areas the Red Sox never thought would need it. He watches with a pleased eye, but is wary that the magic may run out.

“Look, every hitter, even the best hitters go through hot streaks and colder streaks,” Cherington said. “He’s going to have those ups and downs a little bit, just like any hitter but his approach is pretty simple, it’s a compact swing and he has some sneaky pop. I don’t think anyone is surprised he’s hitting in the big leagues.”

But everyone is surprised how well he's played outfield. It started as a casual conversation between Cherington and manager John Farrell in Farrell's office. Whoever the Red Sox put out there, nobody could seem to hit. As of June 3, Red Sox outfielders were batting .215 and on pace to have the worst offensive production of any Red Sox's outfield in the 162-game era.

Farrell told Holt to shag flyballs in batting practice. A few days later, on June 8, Holt started in left field, his first baseball game ever as an outfielder. His high school coach and college coaches swear they never even tried him there (he was too good at second base) but have marveled over some of his diving catches.

"Do y'all realize how phenomenal that was?" Rice University coach Wayne Graham said of Holt's diving catch from center field when Jonny Gomes lost a flyball in the lights. "Nobody does that. That's focus."

As of Tuesday, Holt had played 29 games in the outfield with zero errors and and a handful of highlight reel catches. Collectively, Red Sox outfielders have raised their average to .249.

“I’d be dishonest if I told you we expected him to adjust to the outfield so quickly,” Cherington said. “And so seamlessly. We were just trying to find a way to get him in the lineup, trying to find a spot for the offense. John and I were talking at one point, said, ‘Hey, let’s take a look at Holt out there. He’s a baseball player.’ I think it would be foolish to say we expected him to transition so quickly.”

It's been a dream season for Brock Holt (AP photo).

It all seems foolish, really. An 84-pound high school second baseman who received one scholarship offer to a junior college, played through injuries to get noticed by a better college, was drafted in the ninth round and is now competing for a major league batting title.

The dream season could come crashing down any moment, so Holt tries to make things feel as normal as possible.

“You can tell he’s just enjoying himself,” Shelby Holt said. “He’s not stressed out.”

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It’s Independence Day and Brock Holt is looking for his family in the Red Sox team store on Yawkey Way. A game against the Baltimore Orioles was postponed due to heavy rain and most of the ticket-holders have now found shelter in the store, where replicas of Holt’s jersey are being promoted on the wall.

Holt is weaving through packs of customers to get to his wife, mother and sister.

Nobody looks his way. Nobody asks for an autograph. Holt wonders if anybody even recognizes him.

“Nothing,” he said. “Nobody even stopped to say anything. I like that.”

Follow MassLive.com Red Sox beat writer @JMastrodonato on Twitter. He can be reached by email at jmastrod@masslive.com.