Red Sox Outfielder: C.J. Chatham
C.J. Chatham is a guy that I think can do some seriously big things with the Red Sox. He has the capability to play left field, shortstop, and second base. That kind of versatility is hard to come by in a player especially one with his potential.
As I discussed in the previous slide, I feel as if Dalbec will be the heir apparent at first base with Chavis next in line for second. Andrew Benintendi won’t be a free agent until 2023, but with JBJ soon to hit the market, we could either see Benny slide to center field or have Chatham learn the position.
On a personal note, I actually traded JBJ in MLB The Show and promoted Chatham. Saved me a fortune and the kid can smack dingers for days. Now, that’s just a video game but we’ve seen what he can do in real life as well.
Between Portland and Pawtucket last year he put up a monster line of .298/.333/.408/.741 with five homers and 46 RBI. That may not sound like much but he totaled 130 hits with 31 of those being doubles. Much like Dalbec, his strikeout number is pretty high at 87, but with his offensive power, that can be controlled. A few months with J.D. Martinez and those numbers could go through the damn roof!
He has a high potential and with several positions being up for grabs within the next year or two, 2020 could be his chance to show he belongs in the bigs. With Chaim Bloom at the helm, Red Sox Nation may be in for a serious youth movement, and Chatham is on that list.