Photo courtesy of Bryan Green

We’re a fickle bunch as rankers. Players in a matter of 24 months can see their prospect status fluctuate wildly. Players pop up, breakout, and breakdown, but few have experienced the rollercoaster ride quite like Red Sox infield prospect Michael Chavis. After entering pro-ball as a first-round pick from the prep ranks, Chavis took a few years to really find his footing in full season ball. But in 2017 Chavis broke out in a big way between High-A Salem and Double-A Portland connecting for 31 homers, and gaining attention as one of the better power hitting prospects in the minors.

Then the suspension happened. An 80-game banishment after testing positive for Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (DHMCT), an anabolic steroid. Immediately the power breakout of 2017 was called into question, and for good reason. While an 80-game suspension would account for half a major league season, it’s closer to two-thirds of a minor league campaign. The lengthy layoff and PEDs stigma all but erased Chavis from the minds of the general collective. It was more than just out of sight out of mind.

The third baseman, sometimes first baseman, and possible keystone option, returned to competitive baseball July 2 with the short season Lowell Spinners. During his last game in Lowell before joining Portland Chavis hit a ball 400+ feet to the opposite field for a homer. It was easy to see the all-fields power Chavis had been known for pre-suspension never left. Three days later Chavis rejoined the Sea Dogs lineup, and he homered again. Over the course of the next two months Chavis slashed .313/.388/.544 between Portland, and a late season look in Pawtucket, showing the skills that earned him high grades the previous year.

Entering 2019, Chavis is likely to return to the Red Sox Triple-A home as he awaits an opportunity with the big league club. So far in the spring, Chavis has made noise hitting three homers in his first four games. His big raw power, and his get-everything swing has caught the attention of Red Sox nation early in the March thaw. So this begs the question: who is Michael Chavis? And what will his role be for the 2019 Boston Red Sox?

Over the course of 2017 and late in 2018 I’ve observed around 40 at bats from Chavis and about 8-10 plays in the field at both third and first base. So I feel comfortable discussing Chavis’ overall skillset, strengths, and deficiencies. First and foremost, Chavis can hit. To say his swing is upper-body heavy would be putting it lightly. Quick hands that are short to the zone, Chavis generates good bat speed, a thunderous sound at the point of contact, and a follow through with an almost exaggerated rotational coil.

Despite a moderate leg kick and all that bat whip, Chavis has maintained fairly consistent contact skills throughout his time in the upper minors. He hits lots of hard consistent line drives at each level, and is a more hit-over-approach type hitter. Not the most attractive profile at the moment, but Chavis’ power+hit allows it to work. Whether his strikeouts stay manageable at the next level is the biggest question. His ability to hang his barrel in the zone, get to pitches in all four quadrants, and drive balls with force to all fields makes him better equipped than most to toe the line between contact hitter and no approach empty power hitting corner infielder. Another attribute in Chavis’ favor is his ability to hit righties and lefties, never showing any drastic splits in any of his extended stops in his career. Meaning he can find himself on each side of the platoon.