Red Sox: Michael Chavis a player to watch in High-A
By Daniel Riggs
2014 first-round pick Michael Chavis has bounced back from a down season that weakened his value to make a big impression with the Salem Red Sox.
Michael Chavis‘ career did not get off to a great start. After a promising 2015 season with the Greenville Drive Low-A team, Chavis struggled with injuries throughout 2016. On top of that, he did not perform exceptionally well when he was on the field, batting .244 with the Drive and .160 when promoted to the Salem Red Sox.
When the Boston Red Sox drafted Chavis 26th overall in 2014, they believed they were drafting a power bat fresh out of high school. Chavis’ slash line at 18 years old was impressive: .580/.663/1.197. Anytime you post an OPS of 1.861, you’re doing something right– even if you’re hitting at Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Ga.
It was concerning when Chavis only posted eight home runs and only a handful of extra-base hits in general in 2016. Even playing a shortened season of 81 games, Chavis’ performance seemed sub-par.
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Fortunately for the Red Sox, the power outage of 2016 seems to have been merely part of a sophomore slump. Chavis has been raking in High-A with the Salem Red Sox. Chavis has already crushed 14 home runs and his current slash line is .345/.419/.695.
The clear next step for Chavis is to keep producing with the Salem Sox and then play well when he gets promoted to Double-A. If he keeps up his furious pace at that point, the logical next destination would be playing with the Pawtucket Red Sox in Triple-A.
However, under Dave Dombrowski, prospects who perform exceptionally well in Double-A have been called straight up to Boston from Double-A. This happened just last year with Andrew Benintendi.
No matter what path the club takes with Chavis’ progression, it’s clear that 2017 has been a big turnaround for him. He has already showed mettle by overcoming his injuries and sluggish 2016 season and bouncing back in a big way. He has changed the perception fans have of him in one year, rising from potential draft bust to potential MLB star.
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No matter what the rest of the year holds for him, Michael Chavis has earned the right to be a name to watch in Boston’s minor league system..