What has been the biggest difference for the Boston Red Sox over the past couple of weeks? It may not be the player that one would think.
It was easy to imagine that Sandy Leon would be the cure-all for the Boston Red Sox struggles. After all, the pitching staff had been a disaster, and the Red Sox starters, particularly Chris Sale, were far more comfortable with Leon behind the plate. Boston even acknowledged their mistake, sending Blake Swihart away to bring Leon back to the majors.
Yet, in terms of turning around the Red Sox season, there may be another player who has made a bigger impact on their record. Boston was sitting at 6-13 when they called Michael Chavis to the majors on April 19, part of a series of roster moves necessitated by Dustin Pedroia and Eduardo Nunez being placed on the Injured List.
Since Chavis was promoted, the Red Sox have been on a roll. Including the 15-2 drubbing of the White Sox on Saturday, Boston has won 10 of their last 15 games, edging ever closer to .500. Those doldrums at the start of the season are nearly forgotten.
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Chavis has been a major part of that revival. Heading into Saturday’s action, he had put together a stellar .310/.442/.619 batting line. In his 52 plate appearances, Chavis had hit four homers and stolen two bases, while drawing nine walks against 14 strikeouts. That production continued in the Red Sox laugher on Saturday night, where Chavis was 4-6 with two more homers.
Considered to be the Red Sox top prospect entering 2019, and the 79th best prospect in the game by MLB.com, Chavis is living up to that billing. Even though he had a relatively slow start at AAA, necessity brought Chavis to the majors. And now, he may never leave.
It is easy to say that one moment can be a turning point for a team. Usually, that is a big win or an emotional loss, changing the momentum for a season. Rarely, that moment involves a single player, especially in a sport like baseball.
And yet, that may be the case with the Boston Red Sox. The Michael Chavis Effect is in full swing, and the Red Sox are moving up the standings.