 |
| (Photo Source: Forrest Mulheron/New England Baseball Media) |
Travis Shaw has undoubtedly been one of the hottest topics so far this spring, slashing .480/.519/.800 with two home runs, nine RBIs and five runs scored - some have even discussed the potential for starting him over struggling third baseman, Pablo Sandoval.
The 22-year old Sam Travis has quietly been even hotter than Shaw with the bat so far, hitting .579/.500/.842 with a home run, nine RBIs and three runs scored.
Travis is coming off a 2015 campaign which saw him hit .307/.381/.452 with nine home runs, 78 RBIs and 70 runs scored between the Single-A Salem Red Sox and Double-A Portland Sea Dogs. Those numbers were good enough to earn him a spot on the mid-season All-Star squad while with Salem and be named the Portland Sea Dog's Most Valuable Player award.
The 2014 second round pick continued to heat up when he arrived in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .344/.394/.505 with 14 RBIs and a walk-off home run in 23 games. Travis' team, the Scottsdale Scorpions, eventually defeated the Surprise Saguaros to claim the 2015 AFL Championship.
Although he is most likely at least a year away from seeing any MLB action, it is fair to argue that Travis has a higher ceiling then Shaw (.310 minor league average compared to .261) and should be the a serious candidate for the Red Sox first base job in the future. Travis also hits right-handed, which makes would bode well with the Green Monster and short left field porch.
One option after this season could be to slide Ramirez from first base into the designated hitter, allowing Shaw and Travis to platoon at first base. Depending on what happens with Sandoval moving forward, another option could be to start Shaw at third and Travis at first.
Regardless of the option the Red Sox choose, we could be looking at an even better version of Travis Shaw in young Sam Travis. Keep an eye on him in Pawtucket this season, or even when the Red Sox make their September call-ups.
No comments:
Post a Comment