Travis Clay Lakins Sr. (born June 29, 1994) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

who is currently a free agent. Listed at and , he throws and bats right-handed. He made his MLB debut in 2019 with the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

Career

Lakins attended Franklin High School. Lakins played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

for the

Ohio State Buckeyes The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree ...

, and in 2014, he pitched a

perfect game Perfect game may refer to: Sports * Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners * Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game * Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New York ...

for the

Chillicothe Paints The Chillicothe Paints are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chillicothe, Ohio, in the United States. The team is a member of the summer collegiate Prospect League. The Paints previously played in the professional independent Frontier Lea ...

, a

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

team.

Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox selected Lakins in the sixth round of the

2015 MLB Draft Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album ...

, signing him for an above-slot bonus of $320,000. Lakins struck out three batters in two shutout innings during his only appearance with the

Class A Short Season Class A Short Season (officially Short-Season A) was a level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States from 1965 through 2020. In the hierarchy of minor league classifications, it was below Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced (cre ...

Lowell Spinners The Lowell Spinners were a baseball team based in Lowell, Massachusetts. From 1996 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) as the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. With Major League ...

in 2015. He then pitched for the

GCL Red Sox The Florida Complex League Red Sox are a professional baseball team competing in the rookie-level Florida Complex League (FCL) of Minor League Baseball. The team is owned and operated by the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). Prior ...

, but only in the playoffs. In his brief stint, Lakins showed a quick arm from a three-quarters arm slot, offering a three-pitch mix with a

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thro ...

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

combination, with his fastball sitting at and topping out at 96 with a bit of sink and run. The curveball flashed plus-potential at with two-plane, tight rotation and hard snap, while the changeup ranged and also showed plus potential with late dive away from left-handed hitters when down in the zone. He also used a heavy mix of curveballs and changeups both early and behind in counts, showing consistency with the secondaries pitches and refined command and control overall.2017 MLB Prospects Watch – 2017 Boston Red Sox Top 30 Prospects Watch
''MLB.com.'' Retrieved on September 8, 2017. In 2016, Lakins was promoted two levels up to the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

Salem Red Sox The Salem Red Sox are a Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB), based in Salem, an independent city adjacent to Roanoke, Virginia. The team competes at the Single-A level in the Carolina League. Ho ...

. In the month of April, he led the Salem pitching staff with a 3–1 record and a 2.13

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

in four starts, striking out 26 and walking 10 in innings of work. In early August, Lakins was placed on the disabled list with right elbow inflammation and did not pitch for the rest of the season. He went 6–3 in 19 starts and a relief appearance, featuring a 5.93 ERA with 79 strikeouts and 36 walks in 91 innings. Lakins spent 2017 with both Salem and the Double-A

Portland Sea Dogs The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red ...

, posting a combined 5–4 record with a 4.21 ERA in innings between both teams. He finished the year rated as the Red Sox' No. 13 prospect, according to MLB.com. Lakins started the 2018 season with Double-A Portland. At the end of July, he was promoted to the Triple-A

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

. Overall for the 2018 season, Lakins made 36 appearances, compiling a record of 3–2 with an ERA of 2.32 and three saves. The Red Sox added Lakins to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...

after the 2018 season. Lakins opened the 2019 season with Pawtucket, and on April 23, he was added to Boston's major league active roster for the first time. He made his MLB debut that day, pitching innings against the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

while allowing one run and striking out two. Lakins was optioned to Pawtucket on April 26. He was recalled on May 23 and optioned back on May 29, then recalled on June 12 and optioned back on June 17. Boston next recalled Lakins on August 12, and optioned him back to Pawtucket on August 20. Lakins was recalled to Boston on September 1, when rosters expanded. Overall with the 2019 Red Sox, Lakins appeared in 16 games (three starts), compiling an 0–1 record with 3.86 ERA and 18 strikeouts in innings. Lakins was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Red Sox on January 17, 2020.

Baltimore Orioles

Lakins was traded on January 21, 2020, to the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

for future considerations. He was claimed off waivers by the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

on January 31. He was informed of the transaction while on a late-honeymoon cruise with his wife. In 22 appearances for the Orioles in 2020, Lakins pitched to a 2.81 ERA and 25 strikeouts over innings. On June 29, 2021, Lakins made his first start of the season, but left in the second inning with an apparent injury. On July 3, he was placed on the 60-day injured list with right elbow pain, although manager

Brandon Hyde Brandon Michael Hyde (born October 3, 1973) is an American professional baseball manager for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). Hyde had previously served as the bench coach, director of player development, and first base coa ...

described the injury as a “significant elbow injury”. On July 6, Lakins underwent season-ending surgery to fix a recurrent

olecranon The olecranon (, ), is a large, thick, curved bony eminence of the ulna, a long bone in the forearm that projects behind the elbow. It forms the most pointed portion of the elbow and is opposite to the cubital fossa or elbow pit. The olecranon ...

stress fracture in his right elbow. In 24 appearances with the 2021 Orioles prior to his injury, Lakins recorded a 1–4 record and 5.79 ERA. On October 14, Lakins was outrighted off of the 40-man roster. On April 15, 2022, Lakins' contract was selected by the Orioles. He was sent outright on August 31, 2022. He elected free agency on October 6, 2022.

Personal life

Lakins has been married since 2017; he and his wife have a daughter ( Brezzlynne Lou Lakins ) and a two son's (Travis Lakins Jr.) and ( Tucker Lee Lakins ) .

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lakins, Travis 1994 births Living people People from Franklin, Ohio Baseball players from Ohio Major League Baseball pitchers Boston Red Sox players Baltimore Orioles players Ohio State Buckeyes baseball players Lowell Spinners players Salem Red Sox players Portland Sea Dogs players Pawtucket Red Sox players Norfolk Tides players