Through all the trials he faced in the minors -- from the possibility of being a first-round bust to the soul-searching that accompanied a lengthy suspension for PEDs -- Michael Chavis clung to one deeply held belief.
He was a big leaguer.
Selected in the first round of the 2014 draft because of his power potential, Chavis looked like he might never escape Single-A after three wayward seasons. But belief in his ultimate destination never abandoned him, and when he broke out in 2017 with 31 homers between two levels, the big leagues suddenly seemed realistic.
But until Chavis got the call this April to join the Red Sox in Tampa, he had to take it on faith that he belonged in the majors. Then came the whirlwind. He debuted with a booming double off a 99 mph fastball, authored a dream first month that seemed to bring a different nightly moonshot, and then struggled with the inevitable adjustments that smack most young hitters when the league reacts.
As Chavis prepared to head south for the winter following Sunday's season finale, he reflected on just how different his mindset is as he prepares for 2020.
"There's a lot, man," he said. "It was a fun season. I think to your point, I proved to myself that I am a big leaguer. I always believed it and kind of knew it, but going out and doing it is different than just saying it. Having had a little bit of success and the experience I've had is just incredible. It's just a building block. This offseason I know what my strengths were. I know what some of my weaknesses were. I have a good idea of what I need to work on. I have to put myself in a position to get better. That's the approach of each offseason, to come back better. That's the goal."
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Chavis provided a lot to like as a rookie. He slammed 18 home runs in 347 at-bats while driving in 58 and showing some versatility by playing first, second, and third. He hit 10 home runs in his first 28 games, feasting on an assortment of hanging breaking balls before teams wizened up and began attacking a hole in his looping uppercut swing with letter-high fastballs.
His OPS stood at .903 on May 28, but from that point forward until an oblique injury ended his season in early August, Chavis struggled. He hit .239 with eight homers and a .682 OPS in 61 games. He also struck out 85 times vs. only 14 walks, losing the command of the strike zone that marked his arrival by cheating in order to get to high fastballs.
Chavis bristled at the characterization of his struggles -- "I know I can hit a high fastball," he said on more than one occasion -- but like everything else with his young career, he's intent on earning the trust of manager Alex Cora and his teammates.
"I don't want anything handed to me," he said. "Having earned the opportunities that I got made me appreciate other ones where I didn't get them. It made me want to work harder to be in that position, whether it's to be trusted to pinch hit here or something like that. It's another benchmark for me. I want to be that guy. I want to be that guy."
He certainly caught the attention of his rivals. When Chavis debuted in April with a game-saving double off of Rays flamethrower Jose Alvarado, fellow rookie Brandon Lowe greeted Chavis at second in disbelief.
"The debut knocked us back a little bit," Lowe recalled earlier this year. "My god. First pitch off Alvarado, double off the center field fence. I talked to him right when it happened, I was like, 'You've got to be kidding me? You're going to do that in your first at-bat?' He's very mature as a player, for being as young as he is. He's got the notebook, he writes his stuff down. He knows what he's trying to do up there. He's not going to get away from it. It's going to be fun to play against him and watch him play for hopefully the next 10 or 12 years."
Chavis heads into the offseason with a real opportunity. The Red Sox expect to cut payroll, which should open multiple jobs for younger, cheaper players. Chavis fits that bill and could see reps as the right-handed half of a first base platoon or even at second base, where he acquitted himself unexpectedly well in his pro debut at the position.
All he knows is a year ago he had to rely on faith that he was a big leaguer. Now he has proof.
"The work's not done," he said. "This offseason there's a lot of work to be done, and a lot more to look forward to down the road. Having had this taste and an idea of how things work in the clubhouse, how these guys work, how things work in the big leagues, its going to put me in a better position. I know what I'm working for."
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