Despite trading away several of their top prospects, the Boston Red Sox still have intriguing young talent in their farm system.
While the focus will be on the major league Boston Red Sox this season, the club has several prospects in their minor league system that could be crucial to the franchise’s future. Some could also be included in trades for the big league team.
Here is a review for six prospects who stood out either positively or negatively in April.
To begin, we at Chowder and Champions send our thoughts to pitching prospect Kevin Steen of the Lowell Spinners, who was critically injured in a car accident earlier this week. He is in stable condition as of Friday evening.
So, now that the first full month of baseball is behind us, here is a look at six important and intriguing prospects during the month of April.
Sam Travis, 1B
Thanks to his Spring Training presence, Sam Travis is likely the most high-profile Red Sox prospects, though he ranks third on most lists. He is likely the closest to a major league promotion, though Travis has struggled in Pawtucket so far this season.
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Injuries have played a role in the slow start, as a collision with catcher Blake Swihart left both bloodied and kept Travis on the bench for a few games. He is only hitting .232 with one home run, one RBI, and three doubles so far while he has struck out eighteen times already.
This past week has seen a hotter stretch from the 23-year-old, one in which he has hit .375 and scored three runs.
The PawSox rank fourth worst in the International League in batting average and second to last in runs, so Travis’ lack of production partly has to do with his teammates struggling as much as he has.
Still, his power potential is massive and he could see time in the big leagues at some point this season if Hanley Ramirez or Mitch Moreland get hurt. For now, Travis simply needs to settle in at the plate and carry this hot stretch into May.
Rafael Devers, 3B
With Andrew Benintendi officially graduating from prospect status, Rafael Devers is now considered the Red Sox top prospect, so any prospect round-up would be incomplete without him. Devers has made it to Double-A Portland, where he is off to a very modest start. His .288 average and .775 OPS has been fine, but his thirteen to one K/BB is a bit concerning.
Devers walked 40 times last season, so it is possible that the sample is just too small, but one walk in fifteen games could be a sign of an approach issue. After hitting eleven home runs and stealing eighteen bases last year, Devers is sitting with two homers and no steals this season.
Again, the sample is small and he is definitely adjusting to a higher level of competition, so the potential to become a 20-20 player is still surrounding Devers. He seems to have settled in at the plate, but expect higher performance going forward.
Michael Chavis, 3B
Michael Chavis has gotten off to a powerful start for the High-A Salem Red Sox.
The 21-year-old third baseman has hit a Carolina League-leading five home runs in eleven games this season after only hitting eight over 81 injury-riddled games in 2016. Chavis currently has twelve hits this season, with eight of them going for extra bases.
The highlight of Chavis’ season has been his three homerun night on April 19th that included a two-run walk-off shot. He missed the beginning of Salem’s season with an elbow injury, but has returned with a .343 average and 1.346 OPS.
The biggest change in Chavis’ approach has been improved plate discipline. In 2016, Chavis had a strikeout rate of 23.7% and a walk rate of 7.1%. So far this season, he has brought the strikeout rate down and the walk rate up, resting at 17.8% for both.
The sample is small, but it does show signs of improvement. As long as Chavis stays healthy and continues to hit for power, he will be an interesting name to watch in trade talks and for future consideration at an uncertain position for the big league Red Sox.
Josh Tobias, 2B
Josh Tobias, acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies for Clay Buchholz this past winter, is lighting up Carolina League pitching for Salem.
Tobias has scored 16 runs and racked up 27 hits in twenty games, ranking him third in the league in both categories. Tobias also ranks third in the league in doubles with seven and eleventh in batting average at .325. Chavis and Tobias, along with teammates Josh Ockimey, Austin Rei, and Chad de la Guerra are all hitting over 320 f or a very productive Salem lineup.
Once thought of as a means to an end in sending Buchholz packing, Tobias has become an intriguing player to watch going forward.
Jay Groome, SP
Those intrigued by the Red Sox drafting high school standout Jason Groome in 2016 (who is apparently going by Jay now) will have to wait a little longer to see what he can do. After giving up nine runs in an inning and a third, Groome was removed with a lat injury.
The injury is not expected to be serious, but Groome has not yet returned to the mound. Groome could potentially blossom into one of the better pitching prospects in baseball, but we will just have to wait and see at this point.
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Travis Lakins, SP
Another member of the impressive Salem Red Sox, Travis Lakins has looked like the best pitcher in the Red Sox system so far this season. Lakins was drafted in 2015 and spent his first full season with Salem in 2016, though it was not as productive it was expected to be. He injured his elbow and pitched through it before being shut down at the end of July and delivered a 5.93 ERA in nineteen games.
Lakins has a good tailing changeup and a curveball that could develop into a great swing-and-miss pitch, but he struggled with commanding his fastball and walked 3.56 batters per nine innings. The 22-year-old came into this season with something to prove and has been dominant so far. Lakins is 4-0 with a 3.08 ERA in five starts for so Salem this season.
He has already recorded 32 strikeouts and only walked eight batters, showing improved command of all pitches. Lakins is an important name to keep track, but the entire Salem team has been extremely fun to watch.
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