It hasn’t taken long for Michael Chavis to leave his mark on folks both in and out of Boston.
The Red Sox rookie has impressed with his power since getting called up to the big club last month, hitting .281 with seven homers and 21 RBIs in 24 games.
His defense hasn’t been too bad, either.
Originally drafted as a left-side infielder, Chavis started working out at second base during spring training 2019. Injuries to Dustin Pedroia, Brock Holt and Eduardo Nunez led to him getting an opportunity in the big leagues at second, and he’s done a mostly solid job.
While Chavis probably will never turn into D.J. LeMahieu defensively, he’s been fine enough. And one scout told The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham that Chavis’ offensive and defensive abilities so far have reminded him of a longtime National League East second baseman.
“He reminds me of Dan Uggla,” the scout said to Abraham. “It’s not perfect defensively but it’s effective enough, and he hits. He’s a good athlete.”
You could do a lot worse than Dan Uggla, who didn’t even break into the big leagues until he was 26 years old. Chavis, by the way, won’t turn 24 until Aug. 11.
Expectations long have been high for Chavis, and the performance he’s put on so far only has elevated them. He’ll get a chance to try something new in Sunday’s series finale against the Houston Astros, batting leadoff for the first time in his career.
