Red Sox Travis Shaw Starts Well; Red Sox 8, Huskies 3

Travis Shaw put the Boston Red Sox on notice that Hanley Ramirez is not the only one at first base who can swing the stick well.

While Ramirez was proving his worth at first base against Boston College yesterday, Shaw put on a show of his own against the Northeastern Huskies. Shaw went 2-for-3 with two RBIs to lead the Red Sox over their opponents. In the first inning, Shaw smashed a line drive to right field, scoring Brock Holt. Shaw then doubled to left field in the third inning, scoring Josh Rutledge.

With a lineup with virtually no starters, Holt and Rutledge being the biggest names besides Shaw to grace the field, the 6-foot-4 Ohio native was able to produce. Granted that both men played against college opponents, Day 1 goes to Shaw with a slight edge on Ramirez, who went 2-for-2.

The comparison is too early to judge, as it was the first game of spring training for both men, but there was no comparison between them in 2015.

Last season, after a red-hot streak of home runs in April, Ramirez went cold, hitting just .249/.291/.426 with 19 home runs and 53 RBIs. It took Han-Ram 105 games to complete those totals. Shaw hit .270/.327/.487 with 13 home runs and 36 RBIs in only 65 games. Those numbers put Shaw on pace to hit 58 RBIs if he would have played the same amount of games as Ramirez, a man who gets paid just under $22.75 million more a season.

Defensively, Shaw has already played first base for the Red Sox, posting a .993 fielding percentage in 55 games. Ramirez has never played first base against MLB competition. Last season, he had a .969 fielding percentage in left field, looking lost out there. Especially when he might have lost some brain cells slamming into the left field foul wall that created an injury that added to the list of bumps and bruises he, seemingly, could not avoid.

Ramirez may be making a huge contract, but he needs to revive his bat and play good defence at first base in order to be worthy of the position above Shaw. If these recent games are any indication, the fight for the position should be a good one, even if the Red Sox execs want Ramirez to have it.

Another player to make a quick statement for the Red Sox was Yoan Moncada, the Cuban phenom who was brought to the United States to take over the role of second base, once Dustin Pedroia decides to hang up his cleats. Moncada came into the game as a pinch runner for Holt and assumed his duties at second. The youngster did not disappoint, as he went 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored.

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Depending on how Shaw and Moncada continue to look during this spring training, both men may surprise Red Sox Nation with steps in the right direction. Moncada could play himself into moving up a few bars of the minor league ladder, possibly even Triple-A Pawtucket. However, he still has much to prove before anyone would be comfortable with him starting for the big club. Shaw, on the other hand, could make the case that his time is now at first base, or at least in the lineup in some capacity, making people wonder what veteran, Ramirez or not, would have to make way for him.

Still early, but still fun to speculate, as baseball is finally here!