Sam Travis

Sam Travis
Boston Red Sox
First baseman
Born: (1993-08-27) August 27, 1993
Chicago, Illinois
Bats: Right Throws: Right

Samuel John Travis (born August 23, 1993) is an American professional baseball first baseman who plays in the Boston Red Sox Minor League system. Listed at 6 feet (1.80 m) and 195 pounds (88 kg), Travis bats and throws right handed. He was born in Chicago, Illinois.[1][2]

Career

The Red Sox selected Travis in the second round (67th overall) of the 2014 MLB Draft out of Indiana University Bloomington, signing him for the full slot fall of $846,800.[3][4] Travis has moved quickly through the system, reaching his fourth level in under a calendar year.[5]

In his third season with the Indiana Hoosiers, Travis earned the 2013 Big Ten Most Outstanding Player of the Year honors after hitting a slash line of .347./415/.576 in 59 games, including 16 doubles, two triples and 12 home runs, while scoring 55 times and driving in 58 runs, the most in the Big Ten Conference tournament.[2][3]

Travis also played for the Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox in the Cape Cod Baseball League after claiming Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors in the summer of 2012, when he finished with a sixth-best average of .339 and seventh-best OBP of .415, while adding 12 doubles, four homers and 35 RBI. A Cape League All-Star, he was named to the All-League team at the end of the summer.[6] Besides, he won the Chicago Tribune Illinois Player of the Year distinction in 2011 and was on Team USA in 2013.[2][7]

In his college tenure Travis showed advanced recognition skills as a hitter and was praised for his solid walk-to-strikeout ratio, walking 93 times while collecting 94 strikeouts in 721 plate appearances (7.67 PA/SO).[2]

Travis started his professional career with the Short Season Class Lowell Spinners in their 2014 season. He slashed .333/.364/.448 in 40 games for Lowell, including four home runs, 17 doubles, 28 runs scored and 30 RBI. He then was promoted to the Class A Greenville Drive, where hit .290/.330/.495 with 12 runs and 14 RBI in 27 games.

Travis opened 2015 with the High-A Salem Red Sox, where he blossomed and quickly earned a promotion to Double-A Portland Sea Dogs after 66 games. In 131 games between the two teams, Travis hit .307/.381/.452 with 32 doubles, six triples, nine homers and 78 RBI, and was named to the Carolina League All-Star team.[1][8] After that, Travis continued his solid hitting at the Arizona Fall League, batting .344/.394/.505 in 23 games for the Scottsdale Scorpions and earning an All-Star berth, found himself one step away from the high levels.[9]

Travis was invited by the Boston Red Sox to participate on its 2016 spring training, and was a revelation of sorts at Sox camp. He batted a .536 average (15-for-28), belting two homers and two doubles while driving in a team-leading 13 runs. He then was promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox to start the regular season.[10]

Travis is currently rated as the Red Sox's No. 7 prospect and No. 10 among Top 10 first basemen prospects, according to MLB.com.[11]

Sources

External links

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