Michael Chavis

Position: 3B
Level: Class A
Affiliate: Greenville Drive
League: Eastern League
Age: 20 yrs, 11m
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 215
B/T: Right / Right
Acquired: 1st Rd., (#26 overall), 2014 MLB First-Year Player Draft (BOS)

Prospect Spotlight

The 2014 first rounder for the Red Sox is back after missing over a month with a partially torn ligament in his left thumb, and while he still may be getting his timing down, the bat speed he showed in my look this week shows that he’s healthy.  Chavis has a squat, powerful frame with slightly rolled shoulders and a thick lower half.  At first glance he may not look like a great athlete, but the loose, easy actions he showed on both sides of the ball suggest at least average athleticism to go with above-average raw power and at least a 55-grade arm.  He has a small hitch in his load and tends to open the hips early, which can cause him to work under the ball a bit, but his quick hands have been able to make up for it and still get the barrel through the zone in good shape.  He stays fairly level and can really generate some backspin carry to the big part of the field and given his above-average raw power does not have to square it up to leave the yard.  Overall, his hitting mechanics are pretty simple and low maintenance for the amount of torque he can generate.  As he moves up and faces better pitching, I think guys that can locate fastballs in on him will give him trouble, but if he calms down the bat waggle and shortens the load, he has the strength and hand speed to get to those pitches.

The swing and miss has been his achilles heel in pro ball, and he did  little to ease those concerns in his first full season last year, striking out at a 30% clip.  That’s not overly surprising for a high school hitter who’s power potential got him drafted so high – wanting to prove the Sox right and hit everything out is a common theme for hitter with his skill set.  However,  he has managed to knock that K-rate down to just over 20% so far in 2016 and justified that improved approach in my looks with a couple good ABs.  He was not facing particularly good pitching, but tracked the ball well off of a deceptive lefty, showing a concerted effort to be more selective.  He wasn’t really tested at third base in my looks, but the hands look OK, and he has the arm to stay at the position.  I hope to see more of him during this trip, but my first impression has him somewhere between Mike Olt (3B, White Sox) and Mark Reynolds (1B, Rockies).  He missed all of May with the thumb injury, so other clubs may not have gotten to see much of him until recently, but I’m guessing the Sox are not done making moves, and Chavis would be a nice add-on piece in any future deal.