Michael Chavis

jscola85

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Jul 14, 2005
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Didn't see an Adopt-A-Prospect for our top pick, so figured we might as well get the ball rolling:
 
Michael Chavis
Born: 8/11/95
Height: 5-10
Weight: 190
Bats: R
Throws: R
Drafted: 1st round, 2014 (26th overall)
Position: Shortstop
 
Bio - From Marietta, GA, Chavis hit .580 with a .663 OBP and absurd 1.167 slugging during his senior year of high school at Sprayberry High, including 13 HRs in just 95 PAs.  Chavis originally was slated to play at Clemson next spring but instead chose to sign with the Red Sox for $1.8075 million.  While he has played short in high school and will start there for the Sox, there are already concerns he is more naturally a 3rd baseman defensively.  Scouts have described him as such (hat-tip to Over The Monster, ESPN and Scout.com): 
 
"The bat is special and will carry Chavis. Very advanced approach."
 
"Glove needs work, no doubt...he has athleticism to his left and right and has an above average arm"
 
"I saw him at short this year, all year and I don't think short is his natural position. Do I think he can play it? Yes, because he's that good an athlete. I think he's probably a third baseman when he's all set and done, but obviously, that's for player development to decide, but the fact that he showed that he can play short this year, and he made some unbelievable plays, it says a lot about him and his athleticism."
 
"He's got power. It's one of those things where he played in a decent size high school park, and raw power, he hits them as far as anybody. That's going to be part of his game, without a doubt. He can use the whole field. He'll hit balls to right, he'll hit balls to center, he'll hit balls to left, and that's what makes him a good player as well. He's got power to all fields."
 
"Chavis consistently ran the 60 in the 6.8 range and has above average bat speed, flashing the quick-twitch ability you wouldn't guess could come out of that frame and leading you to believe this could end up being a 1st round type of prospect."
 
"Chavis' load is inconsistent, with his hands usually staying completely still when most hitters are moving their hands to get their timing right. Chavis makes a lot of moves late in his swing and that's what causing some of the problems that won't become concerns until pro ball, but could be avoided with some work in the cage. He is creating so much torque in such a small window of time, that the movements are inconsistent swing-to-swing and if his balance isn't perfect, he can end up popping up at contact with a narrow base, soft front side and more head movement than is necessary, all possibly affecting the swing path that can get a little uphill. I think toning down all the late movement and/or spreading it over more time in the swing should get him more under control and create more contact without costing much power. This could also eliminate or reduce his trouble getting off balance with off-speed pitches."
 
"[T]he 18-year-old infielder profiles best at third base, but he's athletic and versatile enough to play second base or corner outfield. He has a solid arm, good footwork and fluid actions on defense. While he has played shortstop as a prep, he lacks the quickness to stick there over the long term but could play the position in a pinch as a professional."
 
 
Sounds to me a bit like Jason Kipnis - not a huge guy but has 15-20 HR power.  Not really a SS but can hack it at 3B or 2B for sure.  Good but not amazing contact skills.  Perhaps Mike Aviles would be another/better comp, though clearly a bit less glamorous? Plays the game hard as well, which is always nice to see.  
 
Not unexpectedly, Chavis was assigned to the GCL and has been DH'ing there, at least for now.  He picked up the first hit of his professional career two days ago.
 
 

jscola85

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Jul 14, 2005
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mabrowndog said:
Well, either you didn't look very hard or you're not very good at it.
 
Search results
 
Thread is here.
Sorry guys - did not see it on the second page there.  I searched but must have spelled the name wrong at first or something.  Sorry about that!
 

Cesar Crespo

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Dec 22, 2002
21,588
Michael Chavis so far in the 2nd half: .208/.313/.347. 25 strikeouts in 81 PA. Considering he had 11 strikeouts in his first 91 PA of the year, I'd guess the injury changed his approach somehow. 28 of those 91 PA were after his injury those, and he only had 1 strikeout in those 28 plate appearances. At one point we (myself included) thought he was close to promotion but I'm not sure. Maybe he gets 20 at bats to end the season in Salem. His July .255/.367/.451 with 8bb/18k in 59 PA. Hopefully he can get back to whatever he was doing earlier this year, because this version of Chavis won't make it out of Portland. And yeah, I know that is a nice slash line in July, but have fun sustaining that with a 30.5% strikeout rate. The potential is there though.
 

smastroyin

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Jul 31, 2002
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Chavis had a thumb injury so while it's great he's back in action, it wouldn't surprise me if he has some trouble. Of course, the K rate was a problem from him before so maybe the thumb just short circuited whatever he was doing well.