The Boston Red Sox had the 26th pick in the first round of the 2014 MLB Draft.
When the time had come they settled on shortstop/third baseman from Sprayberry High School named Michael Chavis. After being with the organization for over three years now, Chavis has become one of the Red Sox’s top prospects, and ranks No. 2 on soxprospects.com. But, how good is Chavis?
During his senior year highschool, back in 2014, Chavis played 28 games and dominated with a .580 batting average, 47 hits, 19 home runs, and an OPS of 1.861. After his graduation, Chavis went to the Gulf Coast League and played 39 games with a batting average of .269, 36 hits, one home run, and a .772 OPS.
Chavis was promoted to the Class-A ball team “Greenville Drive” for the 2015 season. He played 109 games that season, but didn’t seem to play as great as he did in high school, let alone the GCL, as he batted .223 with 97 hits, 16 home runs, a .682 OPS, and grounded into 13 double plays.
However, as the next season came, Chavis improved. After 74 more games with Greenville Drive, Chavis was promoted to High-A to join the Salem Red Sox. There seemed to be a good place for Chavis, as he played better that he had in Greenville or the GCL. By June 18, 2017 Chavis played his last game with the Salem Red Sox. His stats with the team were a .302 batting average and .965 OPS. He hit 17 home runs in Salem and drove in 56 runs.
Only five days after his last game with Salem, Chavis made his AA debut with the Portland Sea Dogs. His 2017 season went well for him, as not only was he promoted, but it was also the best minor league season he’s ever had. During his time with the Sea Dogs, Chavis had 62 hits, 14 of which were home runs, a .250 batting average, and a .802 OPS. His total stats for the 2017 season were an amazing .282 batting average, .910 OPS, 94 RBIs, and 31 home runs.
This offseason Chavis was invited to play in the Arizona Fall League and is playing well. In fact, he made the league’s All-Star team. While Chavis is a third baseman and shortstop, he has been spending his time in the Arizona Fall League playing first base. So far, he has only committed one error at first base. Chavis is batting .255 in his 55 at bats. He has one home run and has driven in nine since the league started playing Oct. 10. His OPS is .711.
Chavis’s biggest strength is his adaptability. While his first season in Salem and Greenville was not great, by the next season he had adapted to the pitching styles of said league. If Chavis continues this trend he will have mastered AAA baseball by the start of the 2019 season and has the potential to make his first major league appearance in 2019 or 2020.
With his power, Chavis could become a great major league player and helpful to the Red Sox organization, the only problem is that there’s one person standing in his way, Rafael Devers. Since Devers made his major league appearance July 25, 2017, he played third base consistently, has hit .300, and shows no signs of being demoted next season. While Chavis could play at first base, seeing as the Arizona Fall League has given him first base experience, the Red Sox will likely be going after a first baseman like Eric Hosmer they may not need a first baseman. However, if Chavis does make it to the MLB, he would be beneficial to the team’s offense.
