Red Sox Prospect Watch: Spring Training’s halfway point
By Mike El-Far
Non-Roster Invitees
Sam Travis, one of the hottest players to start the spring, has cooled off a little bit. Now hitting .280, the 24 year-old first baseman of the future is still very productive. Of his 7 hits, 5 of them are extra-base hits. With JetBlue Park having similar dimensions to Fenway, it seems that Travis’ power should translate well.
Travis is still coming off of a torn ACL that ended his season last year in May. Both the signing of Mitch Moreland and Hanley’s ability to be an adequate defensive first baseman seem to block Travis this year.
Moreland only has a one year deal with Boston, and should be on a new team come next season. Travis will more than likely spend most of this year in Pawtucket, but the production he is showing this spring is amazing. It proves that Dave Dombrowski was correct in not trying to acquire a first baseman of the future during the offseason.
Contrary to Travis’ success, star prospect Rafael Devers has struggled. The number 2 prospect in the system has had a spring to forget, just hitting .136 in 22 at-bats. Also, he has failed to record an extra base hit so far. For a prospect known for his power, he has not been able to showcase it.
Now, it is not time to hit the panic button on Devers. He is only 20 years old, and should spend the entire season with the Portland Sea Dogs. The earliest he would be a regular part of Boston’s lineup would be the middle of 2018.
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However, it is more likely that he will not ready until 2019. That is important, because it is the last full year of Pablo Sandoval’s contract. The Red Sox have a club option for 2020 with Panda, but if Devers is MLB ready I doubt they accept it.