Michael Chavis
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Michael Scott Chavis (born August 11, 1995) 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 ...
infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...
in the
Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
organization. He has played professionally since 2014 and 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 ...
, and has also played for the
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
. Listed at and , Chavis bats and throws right-handed.


Early years and education

Chavis attended
Sprayberry High School Sprayberry High School is a public high school located in northeastern Cobb County in Marietta, Georgia, United States, a north-northwestern suburb of metro Atlanta. It is a comprehensive senior high school (grades 9–12) with approximately 17 ...
in
Marietta, Georgia Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Cobb County, Georgia, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 60,972. The 2019 estimate was 60,867, making it one of Atlanta's largest suburbs. Marietta is the fourth largest ...
. Committed to
Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...
, Chavis won the home run derby at the Perfect Game All-American Classic in 2014. As a senior, he won
Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball, boys' and girls' basketball, boys' and girls' cross country, boys' football, boys' ...
honors for Georgia, with a
slash line S sabermetrics :Sabermetrics is the analysis of baseball through objective evidence, especially baseball statistics. The term is derived from the SABR – the Society for American Baseball Research. The term was coined by Bill James, an ...
of .580/.663/1.197 in 28 games, including 13 home runs, nine doubles. one triple, 37
run batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...
(RBIs), 30 runs, and 21 stolen bases.


Baseball career


Minor leagues

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 ...
selected Chavis in the first round, with the 26th overall selection, of the
2014 Major League Baseball draft The 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 5 through June 7, 2014, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first two rounds were conducted on June 5, followed by rounds three through ten on June ...
. Chavis signed with the Red Sox rather than attend Clemson, and started his professional career with the Rookie Level
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 ...
in their 2014 season. He struggled early in that season, but ultimately finished his rookie year with an average of .269 (36-for-134), one home run and 16 RBIs in 39 games. He then belted a homer and drove in five runs in three playoff games, to help the Red Sox clinch the Gulf Coast League championship. Chavis opened 2015 with the Class A
Greenville Drive The Greenville Drive are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greenville, South Carolina. They are the High-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and are a member of the South Atlantic League. They play their home games at Fluor Field at the West En ...
, where he hit 15 home runs on the year to lead the Red Sox system. He also had 144
strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...
s in 435
at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...
s to just 29
walk Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...
s, while slashing .223/.277/.405 with 58 RBIs in 109 games. He stayed with Greenville in 2016, beginning the season with a .388 average through 12 games; however, a thumb injury sidelined him in late April. Upon his return, his numbers steadily eroded, and he finished his time in Greenville with a .244/.321/.391 line, eight homers, and 35 RBIs in 74 games before being promoted to
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 ...
late in August. He hit .160 (4-for-25) with five runs and one RBI in just seven games. After two inconsistent and injury-plagued seasons, Chavis slashed .318/.388/.641 with 17 home runs and 55 RBIs in 250 plate appearances in 59 games for Salem before being called up to 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 ...
. The promotion came after he was named the MVP at the
Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...
All-Star Game, where he went 1-for-3 and drove in both of the North Division's runs in a 2–0 victory at
Salem Memorial Ballpark Salem Memorial Ballpark is a baseball park in Salem, Virginia, Salem, Virginia. It is part of the James E. Taliferro Sports and Entertainment Complex, along with the Salem Civic Center and Salem Football Stadium, located approximately southeast o ...
. At the time, Chavis led the league in homers, RBIs,
slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, ...
(.641) and run scored (50), while ranking second in
extra-base hit In baseball, an extra-base hit (EB, EBH or XBH), also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire anot ...
s (36), and third both in average and
total bases In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run. For example, three singles is three total bases, while ...
(143). Overall, Chavis finished the 2017 season with 31 homers, 35 doubles, 2 triples, 94 RBIs, 89 runs and a .282/.347/.563 line in 126 games between Salem and Portland. He became the first 30-homer player in the Red Sox minors since
Ryan Lavarnway Ryan Cole Lavarnway ( ריאן לווארנוויי; born August 7, 1987) is an American-Israeli professional baseball catcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Oriol ...
(34) and Bryce Brentz (30) in 2011. He finished the year rated as the Red Sox' No. 2 prospect, according to
MLB.com MLB.com is the official site of Major League Baseball and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. (a subsidiary of MLB). MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports column ...
.2017 MLB Prospects Watch – 2017 Boston Red Sox Top 30 Prospects Watch
''MLB.com.'' Retrieved on September 8, 2017.


Suspension

On April 6, 2018, Chavis was suspended for 80 games without pay due to testing positive for
dehydrochlormethyltestosterone Chlorodehydromethyltestosterone (CDMT; brand name Oral Turinabol), also known as 4-chloro-17β-hydroxy17α-methylandrosta-1,4-dien-3-one, is an anabolic–androgenic steroid (AAS). It is the 4-chloro-substituted derivative of metandienone (dehy ...
, a performance-enhancing drug, brand name Turinabol. He has stated that he never knowingly consumed anything on the banned substance list. After serving his suspension, Chavis made his 2018 debut 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 ...
on July 2. He was later assigned to Double-A Portland. On August 24, Chavis 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 with three teams, Chavis batted .298 with nine home runs and 27 RBIs in 46 games played. The Red Sox added Chavis to their 40-man roster after the 2018 season.


Boston Red Sox

Chavis opened the 2019 season with Pawtucket. On April 19, he was added to the major league active roster for the first time. He made his MLB debut against the
Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...
the following day, doubling as a
pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute Batting (baseball), batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the dead ball (baseball), ball is dead (not in active play); the manager (baseball), manager may use any player who has not yet ...
. On April 23, Chavis hit his first major league home run in a 4–2 loss to 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 ...
. On May 15, he hit a walk-off single in the 10th inning of a 6–5 win over the
Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...
. On June 3, it was announced Chavis had won the
American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
Rookie of the Month Award for May. At the end of June, Chavis had appeared in 63 games with Boston, batting .261 with 14 home runs and 44 RBIs. On July 15, he hit his first major league
grand slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...
, off of
Trent Thornton Trent Edward Thornton (born September 30, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays. Amateur career Thornton graduated fr ...
of the
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
. On August 12, Chavis was placed on the
injured list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...
with a left AC joint sprain; he began a rehabilitation assignment with Pawtucket on August 23. On September 20, Boston manager
Alex Cora Jose Alexander Cora (born October 18, 1975) is a Puerto Rican baseball manager and former infielder who is the manager of the Boston Red Sox in Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for 14 seasons with the Red Sox, Los Angele ...
indicated that Chavis would not return to the Red Sox for their remaining games in the season, but would likely play in the
Puerto Rican Winter League Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places *El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Orient ...
. In 95 games with the 2019 Red Sox, Chavis hit .254 with 18 home runs and 58 RBIs. In the start-delayed 2020 season, Chavis was part of Boston's
Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...
lineup. On August 18, he became the fourth batter in Red Sox franchise history to strike out five times in a game. Overall with the 2020 Red Sox, Chavis batted .212 with five home runs and 19 RBIs in 42 games. In March 2021, Chavis was optioned to Boston's alternate training site near the end of spring training. On April 10, was activated for one game when J. D. Martinez was briefly on the COVID-related list. Chavis began the minor league season in Triple-A with the
Worcester Red Sox The Worcester Red Sox (nicknamed the WooSox) are a professional minor league baseball team based in Worcester, Massachusetts. Beginning play in 2021, the team is the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, succeeding the Pawt ...
, and was activated several times. Through July, Chavis appeared in 31 games with Boston while batting .190 with two home runs and six RBIs.


Pittsburgh Pirates

On July 30, 2021, Chavis was traded to the
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
in exchange for relief pitcher Austin Davis. Through the end of the regular season, he appeared in 12 games for Pittsburgh, batting .357, and 25 games for the Triple-A
Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which open ...
, where he had a .278 average. On September 26, 2022, Chavis was designated for assignment.


Washington Nationals

On January 2, 2023, Chavis signed a minor league deal with the
Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
.


Personal life

Chavis claims that his father is "full-blood Cherokee Indian." Chavis is a
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
. In his later high school years, he began posting the phrase "11:11" on social media with a new purpose: "I didn't like the idea of making a wish for no purpose ... I thought, why don't I say a prayer or something that's actually beneficial." He frequently uses his platform to post encouraging messages on social media while spreading his faith. Chavis's nickname, "Ice Horse," was coined on the Section 10 Podcast, a Red Sox podcast hosted by
Barstool Sports Barstool Sports is an American blog website and digital media company headquartered in New York City that produces content on sports and pop culture. Founded by David Portnoy in 2003 in Milton, Massachusetts, the company's two primary owners are ...
Boston employees, and soon adopted by fans, MLB, and Chavis himself.


References


Further reading

*


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chavis, Michael 1995 births Living people Baseball players from Marietta, Georgia Baseball players suspended for drug offenses Boston Red Sox players Greenville Drive players Gulf Coast Red Sox players Indianapolis Indians players Lowell Spinners players Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball third basemen Pawtucket Red Sox players Peoria Javelinas players Pittsburgh Pirates players Portland Sea Dogs players Salem Red Sox players Worcester Red Sox players American people of Cherokee descent American sportspeople in doping cases