Red Sox: Michael Chavis hasn’t been having fun this season

This season hasn’t been fun for Red Sox infielder Michael Chavis.

Think this miserable season has been tough to watch? It hasn’t been any fun for the Boston Red Sox players either. Michael Chavis is typically one of the most upbeat players in the clubhouse but the strain of this losing season has him struggling to stay positive.

Boston enters the day with a 20-34 record and a .370 winning percentage that’s tied for the third-worst in the majors. The Red Sox sit in last place in a division where the top two teams have already clinched a playoff spot. They have a better chance at securing a top draft pick than they do of making a push for a Wild Card spot.

The draft pick incentive provides some semblance of solace for fans who can talk themselves into a brighter future but the players aren’t thinking about that. This isn’t an organization that’s accustomed to being at the bottom and failing so miserably to meet high expectations has been a challenge for the players, as Chavis explained to Mass Live’s Christopher Smith.

“I’m just going to be honest, the mental aspect and the emotional aspect this year has been very difficult,” Chavis said Sunday. “Lately I really hadn’t been having fun. Just being honest. I hadn’t been having fun. And I kind of forgot why I play baseball.”

Chavis went on to explain that he’s always played baseball for the love of the game and a desire to compete. Unfortunately, the Red Sox have not been very competitive this year.

The Red Sox roster is loaded with under-performing players and Chavis is no exception. He’s hitting a meager .216/.267/.384 in 36 games this season. That’s a sharp decline from the .254/.322/.444 slash line he produced in his promising rookie campaign.

He’s showing some signs of turning his season around though. After losing their first nine games of the season against the New York Yankees, Boston salvaged the season series to avoid a humiliating sweep with a win fueled by the bat of Chavis. He went 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs and five RBI.

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Chavis credits some great advice he received that reminded him of why he plays the game. He believes that he plays better when he’s having fun. The Red Sox won on Sunday and Chavis played well so that made it a good day.

Is it really that simple? Be happy, be productive? A positive attitude couldn’t hurt. Chavis explained that he’s been surrounded by so much negativity this season, from television to social media. Everywhere you look, criticism is aimed at the Red Sox. That can be draining on a player.

So, Chavis plans to block out that negativity. He says he deleted his social media, although at the moment his Twitter account appears active. He hasn’t tweeted his usual 11:11 message in almost a week though so perhaps he really is taking a break from the platform.

Chavis is a young player who is still developing. The numbers don’t show it but he’s learning a lot this season and believes it has made him a better player. It’s the suffocating negativity that is holding him back. Figuring out a way to block out that negativity is a learning experience that will help him moving forward.

Nobody likes losing but you can learn from it. Keeping the right frame of mind is important. You can let the misery of losing drag you down or you can focus on how to correct your mistakes in order to improve. Chavis is learning that lesson and rediscovering why he enjoys playing baseball will lead him down a path toward bouncing back from this difficult season.