The Red Sox’s major league roster is full of young talent, which is a good thing for Boston because the organization’s farm system currently is going through a rebuild.
The Red Sox have traded away several notable prospects in recent seasons while adding the likes of Chris Sale and Craig Kimbrel, among others. It’s worked out perfectly for Boston, which won a World Series title in 2018, but the residual effects are being felt down in the minors, where only one Red Sox farmhand was named to MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list before the 2019 season.
Michael Chavis is the lone Red Sox prospect to be recognized by MLB.com’s rankings, checking in at No. 79. Interestingly, it’s the same spot Chavis occupied on the list before the 2018 season.
Chavis, 23, missed the first 80 games of 2018 while serving a performance-enhancing drug suspension. He performed well upon returning, though, hitting .298 with nine home runs, 27 RBIs and a .919 OPS in 46 games split between Triple-A Pawtucket (eight games), Double-A Portland (33 games) and Single-A Lowell (five games).
Chavis, a first-round pick in 2014, saw his star fade a bit during his first three years in the Red Sox system but broke out in 2017, hitting .282 with 31 homers, 94 RBIs and a .910 OPS in 126 games split between Portland (67 games) and High-A Salem (59 games).
