Sam Travis

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #28 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: For years Travis looked like one of the best pure hitters in Boston’s system, but his performance has gotten progressively worse over three seasons in Triple-A. He hit .258/.317/.360 with Pawtucket in 2018, posting his highest strikeout rate (22.4 percent) and lowest isolated power (.102) at any minor league level of his career.
  
  Scouting Report: Travis tried to overhaul his direct-to-the-ball approach with an eye toward turning his considerable strength into more extra-base impact. The opposite occurred, with Travis seeing his groundball and strikeout rates go up, particularly against righties. Down the stretch he got back to a more contact-oriented, all-fields approach, slashing his strikeout rate roughly in half (from 27.8 percent to 14.8 percent) and hitting .299/.345/.383. He’s made significant defensive strides at first, while delivering below-average defense in left.
  
  The Future: It’s become increasingly difficult to see Travis as an everyday first baseman, but even in his difficult 2018, he hit well enough against lefties (.284/.367/.432) to suggest a decent shot at a platoon role. He’ll likely open 2019 back in Pawtucket.
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  Ranked Boston Red Sox #7 prospect in 2018
  After his 2016 season was cut short by a blown out ACL in his knee, Travis got off to a strong start in spring training but endured an uneven season. At times, he looked like a hitter who controlled the strike zone and did a good job identifying pitches on which he could make hard contact, with a May surge at Triple-A Pawtucket setting the stage for his first big league callup. However, from that point, his year became disjointed, with occasional contributions as a big league platoon option but he provided little sustained impact. Despite his 2017 inconsistencies, Travis still has the foundation of a strong offensive approach, with an ability to identify pitches he can hit hard and barreling them while limiting his swings and misses (10.8 percent walk rate, 16.7 percent strikeout rate)thanks to strong strikeout and walk rates. His flat-plane bat path, however, has resulted in line drives rather than the power of a first base prototype, resulting in questions of whether he'll hit enough to be an everyday player or if he'll fall more into the mold of a platoon bat against lefthanders. (He pounded southpaws in Pawtucket and the big leagues.) Defensively, Travis made considerable progress at first base, and he also gained exposure to left field in the Dominican League. Most evaluators agree that Travis soon will be ready to help in the big leagues but remain divided on his potential role. The 2018 season may be pivotal in shaping Travis' future. If he can make swing adjustments to turn raw strength into in-game power, he could carve out a big league role, but a return to Pawtucket is likely until he proves he has the power needed from a first baseman.
• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #4 prospect in 2017
  Travis landed on the map as Kyle Schwarber's middle-of-the-order partner in crime at Indiana, but he appeared close to coming into his own both during a strong 2015 and at the start of 2016, when he garnered attention in spring training for the steady thunderous contact he made. A solid if unspectacular start to the 2016 season, however, was derailed when Travis blew out his ACL on the bases. He required season-ending knee surgery but is expected to be at full strength in 2017. One can imagine Travis--who eschews batting gloves--emerging from the womb with bat in hand. Evaluators describe him as a hitting machine whose strength and flat bat path through the strike zone result in resounding collisions of barrel and ball. That same swing plane has, to date, established him as a middle-of-the-field hitter who mostly drives the ball into the gaps, but if he can learn to turn on pitches that are middle-in, he has a chance to develop at least average power. His actions at first base remain inconsistent and sometimes clunky, though his tenacious work ethic convinces some evaluators that he can become average at the position. Despite the lost development time Travis suffered in 2016, his bat is close to big league ready. It wouldn't be a shock to see him contribute at first base and DH in the post-David Ortiz era, or potentially in left field, depending on the rest of the depth chart.
• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #7 prospect in 2016
  A 2014 second-round pick, Travis shined in his full-season debut, batting .307/.381/.452 with nine homers in 131 games at high Class A Salem and Double-A Portland in 2015. He continued hitting in the Arizona Fall League to thrust himself into Boston's unsettled long-term outlook at first base. Travis describes his offensive approach as an attempt to "break the white thing into bits," the brute strength in his gloveless approach described admiringly by evaluators as evocative of a caveman. While he made frequent, hard contact with pitches all over the strike zone, Travis' willingness to let the ball travel and work to the middle of the field meant that his considerable strength translated to hard line drives rather than homers. That, in turn, creates profile questions given that his likeliest position is first base, even as some believe he has the athleticism to play left field as well. If he develops average power, however, there's a considerable amount of value to his game. His makeup is a plus. Travis probably will open 2016 at Triple-A Pawtucket, with a chance to position himself for a callup should the Red Sox need a righthanded bat. He could see time at positions other than first base in an attempt to make him more marketable.
• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #12 prospect in 2015
  Perhaps the most commonly heard refrain about Travis is that he "hits the (bleep) out of the ball." His hitting is very advanced, for he barrels the ball with striking consistency, something that was evident both in his pro debut and in the instructional league, where he hit over .500. It remains to be seen how often he generates the loft to produce home runs, but he hits the ball hard enough to grow into plus power and 20 or more home runs. One evaluator described Travis as having a "Captain Caveman" approach, but with the barrel control to limit strikeouts and a flat, righthanded swing plane that generates screaming line drives to the pull side and right-center field. His ceiling is capped by his position, for Travis is most likely a first baseman, though with some demonstrated ability to play left field in college. He has a chance to open 2015 at high Class A Salem and reach Double-A Portland by the end of the year.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #56 prospect in 2014 draft
  Travis bloomed late in his high school career, belting 17 home runs to lead his team to a state runner-up berth. The Reds drafted him in the 40th round but he chose to attend Indiana, where he became a three-year starter. All he has done in three years is hit, though he's also moved down the defensive spectrum from third to first base. A career .333 hitter with 29 home runs for Indiana, not even a broken hamate in his right hand could slow him down while helping the Hoosiers reach the College World Series in 2013. Travis, who also hit .339 with power in the Cape Cod League in 2012, doesn't profile well as a 6-foot, 220-pound righthanded-hitting first baseman. Travis' approach stands out, as he walks as much as he strikes out (which isn't often) and impresses scouts with his line-drive batting-practice approach. He's strong enough to drive the ball to all fields and has shown pull power, out-homering teammate Kyle Schwarber this season. A team that drafts Travis is buying a bat, though he is a sure-handed but not flashy defender at first and fringe-average runner.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Carolina League #9 prospect in 2015
  Travis and Kyle Schwarber teamed up at Indiana to give the Hoosiers their version of the Bash Brothers. Now, Schwarber, the fourth overall pick in 2014, is in the major leagues with the Cubs and Travis, a Red Sox second-rounder in the same draft, is proving himself to be a fine prospect in his own right. An athletic first baseman with a keen command of the strike zone and plenty of patience, Travis drew plenty of compliments from managers around the league. The one question right now is whether he'll have enough power to profile at first base. He hit just nine home runs across to two levels this season, including four at Double-A Portland in the second half. Nobody questions whether Travis possesses the strength to mash homers, but scouts are split as to whether his output will be closer to 10 or 20 home runs annually when he finishes developing. He has quick feet around the bag and a strong arm, making him an average defender at first base.
• 
  Ranked New York-Penn League #15 prospect in 2014
  A three-year stalwart at Indiana, where he hit .327 and slugged .544 with 31 homers in his career, Travis kept on raking in his pro debut for Lowell. Travis is a hitting machine, pure and simple. Country-strong and compact, he makes consistent, hard, line-drive contact from gap to gap and features above-average power to the pull side. He also controlled the strike zone well in college, walking as much as he struck out, though he was more aggressive in his short NYPL stint. Travis is a slightly below-average runner who will be tied to first base, where he is a sound defender with reliable hands. As a 6-foot, righthanded-hitting first baseman, he doesn't have a great profile, but his track record invites confidence in his ability to mash his way to the big leagues.

• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: After his 2016 season was cut short by a blown out ACL in his knee, Travis got off to a strong start in spring training but endured an uneven season. At times, he looked like a hitter who controlled the strike zone and did a good job identifying pitches on which he could make hard contact, with a May surge at Triple-A Pawtucket setting the stage for his first call-up. Scouting Report: Despite his 2017 inconsistencies, Travis still has the foundation of a strong offensive approach, thanks to strong strikeout and walk rates. His flat-plane bat path, however, has resulted in line drives rather than the power of a first base prototype, resulting in questions of whether he'll hit enough to be an everyday player or if he'll fall more into the mold of a platoon bat against lefthanders. (He pounded southpaws in Pawtucket and the big leagues.) Defensively, Travis made considerable progress at first base, and he also gained exposure to left field in the Dominican League. The Future: The 2018 season may be pivotal in shaping Travis' future. If he can make swing adjustments to turn raw strength into in-game power, he could carve out a big league role, but a return to Pawtucket is likely.
• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: Travis landed on the map as Kyle Schwarber's middle-of-the-order partner in crime at Indiana, but he appeared close to coming into his own both during a strong 2015 and at the start of 2016, when he garnered attention in spring training for the steady thunderous contact he made. A solid if unspectacular start to the 2016 season, however, was derailed when Travis blew out his ACL on the bases. He required season-ending knee surgery but is expected to be at full strength in 2017. Scouting Report: One can imagine Travis--who eschews batting gloves--emerging from the womb with bat in hand. Evaluators describe him as a hitting machine whose strength and flat bat path through the strike zone result in resounding collisions of barrel and ball. That same swing plane has, to date, established him as a middle-of-the-field hitter who mostly drives the ball into the gaps, but if he can learn to turn on pitches that are middle-in, he has a chance to develop at least average power. His actions at first base remain inconsistent and sometimes clunky, though his tenacious work ethic convinces some evaluators that he can become average at the position.
  
  The Future: Despite the lost development time Travis suffered in 2016, his bat is close to big league ready. It wouldn't be a shock to see him contribute at first base and DH in the post-David Ortiz era, or potentially in left field, depending on the rest of the depth chart.