The Boston Red Sox got a boost last season when they called up rookie sensation Michael Chavis. Just where will he be utilized for his sophomore campaign?
The GM Meetings are off and running in Phoenix and there’s been no shortage of news since they began earlier this week. Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom is attending along with General Manager Brian O’Halloran. Boston’s front office dynamic duo is laying the groundwork for what will likely be a very active time at the Winter Meetings next month.
There’s plenty to talk about this winter concerning this team as they head into the 2020 season searching for redemption. Trades may be made, free-agents could be signed, and the roster will be set by the time April rolls around. One of the questions that may be getting overlooked though is where exactly we’ll see rookie sensation Michael Chavis in 2020.
That curiosity has been put to ease at least to some extent. O’Halloran spoke about Chavis during the GM meetings and gave Red Sox Nation a look into their plans for the Ice Horse.
"“I don’t think we’ve come to any definitive conclusions,” O’Halloran said. “He showed this year he’s a pretty versatile player. I don’t think we’ve come to any definitive conclusions but it’s good he can play multiple positions.”"
This was in relation to the fact that Chavis played not only at first, second, but also third base during the 2019 season. He was originally pegged to fill in at second when both Dustin Pedroia and Brock Holt went down with injuries. When Holt returned and Marco Hernandez was promoted to the 40-man roster, Chavis was slotted at first to fill in for the injured Mitch Moreland and Steve Pearce.
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Being versatile allowed him to gain loads of experience in the majors this season and despite having some injury concerns of his own, he’s definitely earned a spot on the roster going forward. As the season ended there were some whispers that we may see the Red Sox test out Chavis in the outfield during the Winter League, but it feels like that plan may have been scrapped.
It makes sense to take a guy who has a killer work ethic like Chavis and try to make him as versatile as possible but that doesn’t always work out. For every Brock Holt, there’s a Blake Swihart. The Red Sox tried to take Swihart who was their top catching prospect at one time and give him reps at other positions.
"“We’ve been focused on the infield with him although he has taken fly balls here and there,” O’Halloran said. “We wouldn’t rule anything out without having full conversations about it.”"
Sadly he would go from being a top prospect to a jack of all trades and he’d mast none of them. I worry that trying to spread Chavis too thin could lead to a similar outcome but I’m glad that seems as if they’re looking to keep him in the infield. With second and first base completely empty thanks to free agency with no obvious options to fill either position, Chavis feels like a lock to have ether job in 2020.
During his time on the main roster in 2019, he would put up a 2.54/.322/.444/.766 line with 18 homers and 58 RBI. He was involved in the ROTY conversation early on but a few cold spells and the injuries would remove him from those talks. Having only played in 95 games this past season I’m sure he’ll be looking to rebound and get that tally up.
Michael Chavis has the talent and the work ethic to be a major part of this Red Sox organization for the foreseeable future. If he continues to put in the effort that we saw during his time in the minors as well as his rookie campaign, he could join the likes of Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, and Andrew Benintendi as the foundation of this franchise. With two big opportunities staring him in the eye, I’m excited to see what the Ice Horse can do next season.