Third base prospects Michael Chavis and Bobby Dalbec have been two of the most impressive hitters in camp this spring for the Boston Red Sox.
The Boston Red Sox farm system gets a bad rap for being one of the lowest ranked in baseball but a couple of the organization’s top hitting prospects are turning heads this spring. We’re only a few games into the exhibition schedule but Michael Chavis and Bobby Dalbec are off to scorching starts.
Dalbec caught our attention with the first hit by a Red Sox player this spring, a mammoth home run to center field in the second inning of an eventual victory over Northeastern University. Sure, it came against a college pitcher but the impressive power display served as a reminder of the upside that resides with a prospect who bashed 32 homers in 129 games across two minor league levels last year.
While he hasn’t gone deep yet in a Grapefruit League game, Dalbec’s bat has stayed hot. He’s 3-for-6 with three walks, two runs scored and an RBI in four games.
The former fourth-round pick reached Double-A last season and has risen to No. 3 on the list of Red Sox prospects, according to MLB.com.
Few have been more impressive than Dalbec in the early stages of camp this spring but Chavis has been arguably the best Red Sox hitter so far. The top prospect in the organization is 4-for-9 with three home runs and nine RBI in four Grapefruit League games. All three homers were three-run shots, showing that Chavis is locked in at the plate with runners on base.
Chavis showed a limited power ceiling in his first few years in the minors after being selected in the first round of the 2014 amateur draft. His breakout season came in 2017 when he mashed 31 home runs with a .910 OPS in 126 games split between High-A Salem and Double-A Portland.
His emerging power was met with some skepticism when Chavis was hit with a PED suspension to begin last season but the nine homers and .919 OPS he produced in 46 games (after he was presumably tested sufficiently post-suspension) led us to believe the uptick in power is legit. Watching him obliterate baseballs on a daily basis this spring is further confirmation that the power in Chavis’ bat has awoken.
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Spring training results should always be taken with a grain of salt. Prospects who aren’t going to make the Opening Day roster are given the benefit of additional playing time early in the spring schedule and primarily face pitchers who aren’t major league-ready. We can pump the breaks on the train rushing these two prospects to Fenway but still find the results encouraging.
One roadblock in their path is that Dalbec and Chavis play the same position so they are competing with each other on their rise through the system. The hot corner is also blocked in Boston by Rafael Devers. The team remains very high on the 22-year old despite his sluggish Sophmore season. Devers is younger than Dalbec and Chavis yet steamrolled his way through the minors for a reason. He’s also having an outstanding spring, going 5-for-8 with a home run and three RBI in three games.
Dalbec is probably a couple of years away from the majors but could work his way up to Triple-A this year if he performs well. It may take Chavis making his major league debut to clear room for him though. There’s little reason to put both at the same level unless one of them switches positions since they need regular playing time.
It’s highly unlikely that Chavis makes the Opening Day roster no matter how well he produces this spring. He could use some more seasoning after missing significant time last season and there’s no clear path to playing time in Boston. However, if his power stroke continues to bloom and he’s tearing the cover off the ball in Pawtucket, it’s going to be difficult for the Red Sox to keep him in the minors for long.