Inside The Red Sox

Mariners Land Ex-Red Sox Fan Favorite Attempting To Fulfill Potential

It did not work out in Boston for the Ice Horse

Scott Neville

Mariners Land Ex-Red Sox Fan Favorite Attempting To Fulfill Potential
Mariners Land Ex-Red Sox Fan Favorite Attempting To Fulfill Potential /
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The Seattle Mariners are building a strong Boston Red Sox contingency out West as they gear up for an Opening Day matchup.

Right-hander Eduard Bazardo joined the roster late last season, infielder Luis Urías was traded to Seattle at the non-tender deadline and right-hander Mauricio Llovera was recently claimed off waivers from Boston by the Mariners.

Now the Red Sox will have one more familiar face to pay attention to in Seattle.

"Infielder Michael Chavis has agreed to a minor league deal with the Mariners, per source," ESPN's Kiley McDaniel reported Thursday. "Contract includes an invite to spring training. Chavis has 42 career homers in 357 Major League Baseball games."

The former Red Sox first-round pick impressed as he rose through the system and quickly showed both his lovable personality and power when he debuted in Boston.

Chavis hit .254 with 29 extra-base hits including 18 home runs, 58 RBIs and a .766 OPS (96 OPS+) in 95 games as a 23-year-old rookie in 2019.

At the time, Chavis -- affectionately nicknamed the Ice Horse by the "Section 10" podcast years ago -- appeared to be a budding star. 

Unfortunately, since then the slugger has struggled to make adjustments at the plate, leading to a career 31.9% strikeout rate.

Since his impressive rookie campaign, Chavis has hit .231 with 61 extra-base hits including 24 home runs, 84 RBIs and a .647 OPS (77 OPS+) in 262 games between three teams. 

The 28-year-old still possesses impressive power he just needs to improve his hard-hit rate -- which starts with better swing decisions. 

Outside of the first series of the season against Boston, I'll be rooting for the former top prospect as he aims to reach his potential.

More MLB: Pair Of Red Sox Prospects Have 'Drawn Industry Interest' As Boston Explores Trade Market

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Scott Neville
SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer.  His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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