One of my favorite prospects in the Red Sox organization is Michael Chavis, evident by the multiple articles I have written about him.
After hitting 31 home runs in Double-A and High-A-Ball last season, his suspension for the use performance-enhancing drugs was upsetting. There was no telling what Chavis would be like when he returned, but after serving his suspension Chavis came back better than ever.
While I don’t expect Chavis to hit 30 home runs again, he has shown that his power still stands. Throughout his 41 games this season with various minor league teams, Chavis has nine home runs and has even improved his contact, slashing .313/.398/.564.
After returning from his suspension, Chavis played Low-A-Ball with the Lowell Spinners but was brought back up to the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs after five games.
With Portland, Chavis hit six home runs in 33 games while slashing .303/.388/.508. While Chavis is mainly a third baseman and shortstop, Portland played around with the idea of Chavis being a first baseman, a position he had just started playing in the Arizona Fall League last year. His excellent performance in Double-A led to Chavis being promoted to the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox. He’s not been in Triple-A for long, but Chavis has already made a big impact. The 23-year-old is batting .360/.385/.720 with five extra-base hits, two of which are home runs.
Chavis’s success has led him to two placements on MLB Pipeline’s prospect team of the week, once as a first baseman and the top third baseman only two weeks ago. During that week, Chavis played eight games with Portland and Pawtucket and slashed .424/.441/.881 with three home runs and four doubles.
With continued power and a raised average it’s safe to say Chavis is not only back, but better than ever. Chavis is heading to the Arizona Fall League for the remainder of the 2018 season but could find himself on the MLB roster come next year.
