Michael Chavis not only snapped an 0-for-19 skid Sunday in the Boston Red Sox’s 11-2 win over the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park. He also drove in five runs as part of his three-hit performance.
So, why did the Red Sox rookie take batting practice in the cage after Boston’s lopsided victory? Well, it’s something Chavis typically does when he doesn’t feel like himself at the plate.
“I don’t like the idea if my swing doesn’t feel good, just be like, ‘Oh, I guess it will feel better tomorrow’ or something like that,” Chavis told reporters Sunday while taking a break from his postgame BP, per MassLive.com. “I have my own time just to swing and feel it out myself. It’s just a little bit different when there’s a bunch of people around (pregame). Maybe somebody else is waiting, so you need to get your routine out of the way so they can hit. I’ve done this since I was a kid. Even when I was like 14 years old, after a game I’d go hit if I didn’t feel good. In high school, I did the same thing. It’s part of my thing.”
It’s hard to argue with the results. Chavis, a first-round pick in 2014, is batting .282 with six home runs, 19 RBIs and a .970 OPS in 86 plate appearances through 20 career major league games.
The recent slump exposed some of Chavis’ flaws, and he’ll now be tasked with making tweaks as pitchers start to attack his offensive deficiencies. But it sounds like the 23-year-old is more than willing to put in the work, telling reporters Sunday that his occasional postgame batting practice sessions are mostly “a feel thing” and not done with a specific number of swings in mind.
“I’ve been scuffling along a little bit,” Chavis said. “But I’ve been seeing the ball well. And I’ve been working, obviously. But I’ve been missing some pitches before tonight. So the work’s not done. I’m going to keep working and making adjustments. But it was nice to see some results tonight.”
Chavis’ arrival in the majors helped sparked the Red Sox, as Boston now sits just three games behind the American League East-leading Tampa Bay Rays entering play Monday after a slow start to the season.
