The Boston Red Sox plan to platoon Michael Chavis with Mitch Moreland at first base but it’s an odd pairing since neither hits lefties well.
There’s a spot for Michael Chavis on the Boston Red Sox roster but it might not be the right spot to maximize his strengths.
Ron Roenicke addressed the role of Chavis with the media on Sunday, according to The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham. The Red Sox interim manager views Chavis as a platoon partner with veteran Mitch Moreland at first base.
"“When a left hander is pitching against us it will probably be for sure Mitch’s day off. I think that’s what we’re kind of thinking now,” said Roenicke. “We’re not planning on Mitch playing 140 games this year. So that’s one way to do it.“Michael should be in there all the time against a left-handed starter. And when we think Mitch needs days off — if he’s got a week in a row against right handers — we’ll slip Michael in there somewhere.”"
Sitting the left-handed Moreland against a southpaw starter is a sound strategy that we’ve seen the Red Sox utilize in previous seasons. Moreland is a career .238/.300/.371 hitter against lefties.
The 34-year-old has dealt with various injuries over the last few years so limiting his playing time to avoid left-handed starters will also help keep him fresh and healthy over the course of a long season. Setting the bar at under 140 games seems reasonable since Moreland hasn’t reached that total since 2017.
Moreland can still be utilized as a pinch-hitter against right-handed relievers or as a defensive replacement late in games but he needs a platoon partner to handle the early work when a left-handed starter takes the mound.
Chavis isn’t the ideal platoon partner though. He had his own struggles with lefties as a rookie, hitting a meager .226/.261/.481 in 106 at-bats. Chavis displayed a bit more power against lefties, with eight of his 18 home runs coming against them despite receiving more than twice as many at-bats against right-handed pitching. The dip in batting average is a concern though and perhaps even more troubling is that he drew only three walks in 111 at-bats against a lefty.
Young players are bound to take their lumps in their first taste of big league action but his issues with lefties date back to his time in the minor league system. In 2018, Chavis hit a respectable .282/.378/.436 against lefties but that paled in comparison to the .303/.383/.568 line he produced against right-handed pitching.
The lower batting average against lefties is a trend that followed him to the big leagues but the dip in slugging percentage is in contrast to what we saw from him as a rookie last year. Eight of his nine home runs were against right-handed pitchers in 2018.
It’s not that Chavis can’t hit lefites – his last full season in the minors proved he’s capable. He’s simply better against right-handed pitching.
Giving the bulk of the playing time at first base to Moreland may be what’s best for the team in the short term. They’ll protect the veteran by sitting him in favor of Chavis against a lefty since he’s better at facing them than Moreland is. However, this doesn’t put Chavis in the best position to thrive and threatens to hinder his development.
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Boston may be focused on winning with a proven veteran over developing a promising young player as we enter the season but it’s fair to wonder if Chavis steals more playing time late in the season if the Red Sox fall out of the playoff race.
Bobby Dalbec could be the one earning extra appearances at first base if the Red Sox aren’t contenders. There was some discussion earlier this offseason that Dalbec could make the Opening Day roster but his inclusion in the latest wave of spring roster cuts dampens that speculation. He would be a better platoon option since he crushes lefties, which means playing time for Chavis could be reduced further once Dalbec inevitably gets called up.
Chavis proved himself capable of filling in at second base last year. A platoon at second base with Jose Peraza, who historically has been better against lefties, would make more sense. That may ultimately be his clearest path to playing time against right-handed pitching this season.
Regardless of which position he’s playing, the Red Sox need to find more playing time for Chavis against right-handers. They are setting him up for failure if he’s locked into a part-time role that doesn’t play to his strengths.