Friday, April 15, 2016

Underrated Player of the Year: 2015

In this series, I look at one player per year from 1991-the present who came out of nowhere or had a great year that no one really noticed or expected.
Travis Shaw is the son of former closer Jeff Shaw.  He was a reasonably well-regarded draft pick when he was picked in the ninth round of the 2011 draft and there was a possibility that he would be a Major Leaguer.  But Shaw surprised everyone with just how well he played in 2015, his rookie season.

Shaw debuted in May and was bounced between Boston and Pawtucket a couple of times before being called up to stay in August.  At that point his bat ignited and he hit 13 home runs in the final two months of the season.  His final slash line was a fairly impressive .270/.327/.487 with the 13 home runs and 36 RBIs.

Defensively, Shaw could play a variety of positions including the corner infield and outfield positions and designated hitter.  It was that versatility and some impressive power that left him in a good position to win a full-time job in Boston for the 2016 season.   

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