From Tuesday's chat:
Tim (Toronto): Imagine the media hype if Mookie Betts was doing what Devon Travis is at the moment!
Indeed, everyone loves Mookie but he's not hitting .368/.419/.721, a slugging percentage that leads the American League and trails only Adrian Gonzalez. But that's the difference between playing for the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays, and also the difference between a heralded young player and one who changed franchises in the offseason in a minor trade.
The Blue Jays acquired Travis from the Detroit Tigers for Anthony Gose, one of those deals that may end up working for both teams. The Jays needed a second baseman, the Tigers needed a legitimate center fielder. Gose hadn't hit much in the majors but the Tigers just wanted his defense; Travis had hit in the minors but there were concerns about the defense and how the bat would play above Double-A.
From Jeff Sullivan's piece on Travis at FanGraphs:
Some quick history. Blue Jays at second base, by year:
2010: 75 wRC+
2011: 71
2012: 77
2013: 48
2014: 76
The last five years, they’ve averaged a 70 wRC+, ranking worst in the AL and second-worst in the majors. Blue Jays second basemen have been worth a combined 0.2 WAR, meaning there’ve been five years of replacement-level production, more or less. Some seemingly decent players disappointed. Some seemingly less-decent players played up to their abilities. Devon Travis represents the end of this ugliness. While he’s definitely not this good, he’s just as definitely not that bad.
Travis hit .298 with 10 home runs in 396 at-bats at Double-A in 2014 and 16 the year before in Class A. So while having some power isn't a surprise, belting six home runs in 68 at-bats certainly is. As Jeff pointed out, two of his home runs have been 430 feet, so they haven't been cheap ones. Like Mookie, he's not a big guy, listed at 5-foot-9, but he's more solidly built and we've seen real pop.
What's interesting is the variety of pitches he's hit for his six home runs:
vs. Chasen Shreve (LHP): 1-1, 90-mph fastball
vs. Jeff Beliveau (LHP): 3-2, 78-mph slider
vs. Julio Teheran (RHP): 1-1, 90-mph sinker
vs. Ubaldo Jimenez (RHP): 1-1, 83-mph splitter
vs. Drew Smyly (LHP): 3-1, 89-mph fastball
vs. Joe Kelly (RHP): 0-2, 98-mph fastball
That suggests there's no scouting definitive report on him just yet. Five of the home runs did come on pitches on the inner third of the plate -- turning on that Kelly fastball was impressive -- with the sixth coming on Smyly's 3-1 fastball down the middle. So we'll probably see pitchers attacking more on the outside part of the plate to cool him down; in limited data, he's hitting .222 in 20 plate appearances on pitches on the outer third of the plate. Ultimately, that's where his strike zone discipline will come into play, laying off those pitches just off the plate.
Anyway, it's a big start and an exciting development for Toronto, adding another weapon to one of the best lineups in the league.
For more Blue Jays coverage, including what they'll do with Jose Reyes on the DL, check out the Blue Jays Plus blog.