Travis Shaw has been waiting for this opportunity for his whole career.
Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell announced Thursday that Shaw would be the club’s starting third baseman over Pablo Sandoval come Opening Day. And as you could imagine, Shaw is thankful for the skipper’s decision.
“It’s very exciting,” Shaw said, per The Providence Journal’s Tim Britton. “I feel like I did what I needed to do this spring to put myself in this position. I’m really looking forward to experiencing my first Opening Day and in the starting lineup.”
Sandoval was graceful in his defeat, telling reporters he was “happy” about the Red Sox making the “right decision” to win. For Shaw, it’s a chance to prove himself as a legitimate third baseman.
“I believed in myself at third for pretty much my whole career,” Shaw said. “It’s just taken a while for other people to jump on board. I’m ready.”
Per Britton, Farrell said the decision ultimately came down to defense, which is something Sandoval struggled with in 2015. Sandoval didn’t help his case this spring training, either, collecting a team-high four errors.
There’s obviously still plenty of time for Sandoval to win his job back, but Shaw hopes he can be a starter for a long time.
“You’ve got to continue to prove yourself,” Shaw said. “I’m not going to take this opportunity for granted. I’m going to try to keep my foot on the pedal and run with this. Hopefully it’s mine for a long period of time.”
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
