Travis Shaw opened some eyes at Boston Red Sox spring training.
His reward? A ticket to the minors.
Shaw, who was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket on Wednesday, really had no chance to make the major league roster out of spring training, as the Red Sox are set at both first base (Mike Napoli) and third base (Pablo Sandoval). But being part of Boston’s first round of roster cuts could serve as a little extra motivation as the 24-year-old enters a key point in his development.
Then again, it’s not like Shaw needs it.
“It’s kind of like a chip on my shoulder I like to play with,” Shaw told the Boston Herald’s Jason Mastrodonato in Fort Myers, Fla., of flying under the radar. “I never get talked about, nobody ever says anything to me, but each year I make my step and I’m right there with everyone else. I’m just trying to continue to prove people wrong.”
Shaw, who turns 25 next month, is coming off a solid 2014 in which he flashed the big-time power that makes him an intriguing, albeit unheralded, prospect. He hit .278 with 21 homers, 78 RBIs and an .826 OPS in 128 games split between Pawtucket and Double-A Portland, marking a major step forward from his 2013 struggles with the Sea Dogs.
“My career was over after that year I had in Double-A,” Shaw told Mastrodonato, sarcastically, in reference to his 2013 campaign (.221, 16 homers, 50 RBIs, 117 strikeouts in 127 games). “It puts a chip on your shoulder, people saying stuff. I’ve heard, ‘He’s not an everyday major leaguer.’ We’ll see. It’s definitely a motivator.”
Shaw hit .350 (7-for-20) with one homer, three RBIs and two doubles in nine Grapefruit League games this spring. While one can debate the importance of spring stats, Shaw, a ninth-round pick in 2011, definitely left his mark, especially now that he’s on the Red Sox’s 40-man roster and seemingly on the major league doorstep.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
