Sam Travis

The closer Travis got to the big leagues, the less capable he appeared of hitting enough to be an everyday first baseman. When he finally arrived last season, he did little to change that narrative. The 24-year-old hit .270 against both righties and lefties at Triple-A, but he slugged .340 with three home runs in 241 at-bats against righties compared to .508 with three home runs in 63 at-bats against opposite-handed pitching. He has only ever played first base in the minors, and while he appears capable of handling the short side of a platoon at first base, he wouldn't be a very useful fantasy option in that scenario. He has played 129 games at Triple-A and will compete for a bench spot this spring. Travis could be the right-handed version of Mitch Moreland, who will start at first base for the Red Sox against righties. The two could be sharing a platoon for most, if not all of the 2018 season. A minor hip injury cut his winter ball season short, but he should be ready to go for spring training.

Travis is a quick-rising prospect who started the 2016 season at Triple-A, after just 281 plate appearances at the Double-A level. A monster spring training fueled the club's decision to challenge him with the aggressive assignment, but a torn ACL cut short his season in May. He's on schedule to return during spring training. The injury shouldn't hurt defensively, as Travis was already limited to first base. Fortunately, Hanley Ramirez isn't a long-term solution, nor is Mitch Moreland (one-year deal). So, the path to MLB is clear for Travis, whose hit tool offsets a paucity of power, though he did show improvement in the area in 2016. The Chicago native hit six homers in 173 at-bats after hitting nine in all of 2015. Opponents are taking notice and developed a plan of attack against Travis, whose strikeout rate climbed to 21 percent in 2016. The injury robbed him of time to adjust, which will be a primary goal when he opens the 2017 season at Pawtucket.

Travis had his first full season in the minors in 2015, hitting .307/.381/.452/.833 in 559 plate appearances in two stops at High-A Salem and Double-A Portland. The right-handed collegiate out of Indiana, who was selected in the second round of the 2014 draft, hit right handers (.301) and left handers (.325) equally well. His performance was good enough to earn the organizational award as minor league offensive player of the year. His advanced approach, consistent contact and on-base skills make him an above-average hitting prospect, but his present and projected power isn’t quite at the level we’re accustomed to seeing out of a first baseman. He hit just nine homers in 2015, but supplemented that with 32 doubles and six triples while knocking in 78 runs. His lack of athleticism keeps him at first base, so how the bat develops power will dictate his upside in the majors.