Sam Travis Designated for Assignment

Interesting corresponding move. Could this portend anything regarding their 2020 plans for Dalbec?

They might think he clears.

Also, if they really believe Dalbec is close, Travis is expendable.

At least the Pats can claim Gronk and Collins among those ranks... Pretty much all yuck from the baseball team there

Longhi will get a "long" look is ST. Maybe start the inevitable move of Devers to first? Hernandez seems like a natural to try out there as well in an attempt to make him fit better into the Holt replacement role?

This and other posts are really overestimating the likelihood of a second-round pick hitting as some sort of MLB regular. For example, from that draft, there were 2 above-replacement players picked and signed from the second round: Verdugo (3.2 bWAR) and Spencer Turnbull (2.1 bWAR).

Will note that there will be others from that round (Honeywell, Mitch Keller, maybe Monte Harrison and Ti'Quan Forbes), but 18 of the 30 players selected haven't played in the majors.

Furthermore, if we're going to say "since Workman," that's basically Williams Jerez (developed into a good enough reliever to be used in a trade for Kinsler), Jamie Callahan (same, Addison Reed), Stankiewicz, and Travis. 3 of the 4 have made it to the majors at least. They didn't have a second-rounder in 2015,and 2016 was Chatham, still developing. If you want to throw Brannen in there I won't argue, but then you've got Decker, Cannon, and Lugo.

In sum, can't say I find and validity to this generalization. If you get one or two role 5 players in a draft, that's a victory.

Edit: just noticed Marcus Wilson was also a 2014 second-rounder.


Disagree emphatically with the bolded assertion as any sort of inevitability. Devers is already about a league average 3B.

I think Dalbec is less than a year out. He will be better at third than Devers. If Dalbec is at third, Devers goes to first.

You sound pretty sure of something that I just can't see happening -- at least not anytime soon. Devers improved considerably at third in 2019. The earliest the Sox would consider a position change is next offseason, and probably only if he was atrocious over the course of 2020.

It's not like Dalbec projects to be a gold glover at third. There's little reason to be confident that he is - or will be - a much better than defender Devers. And when it comes to first base, Dalbec has the better profile for that.

Dalbec no longer projects to be better at third than Devers. His athleticism regressed last year as he's bulked up.

There's a reason he's the one getting time at first and not Devers.

Both Fangraphs and BR showed Devers' defense improving by a bit year over year. They appear to use very different metrics, though. B-R had him very slightly below average, but Fangraphs had his defense superior to Bregman's. I certainly had the impression that he was getting better and better as the year progressed with some spectacular late season play. He's quick as a cat and the focus seems to be improving. I don't think he's going anywhere but where he's playing.

As for Travis, the guy has tremendous power but the very long swing really limits him. Anyone foolish enough to get a fastball out away from him that he could extend on and make contact with found that out. But major league pitchers figure that stuff out or they wouldn't be major league pitchers. A steady diet of breaking pitches ensued and he was exposed at the plate. He's still young enough to make it back to the majors, but the approach will have to improve or he won't be able to stick I believe.