In the 2014-2015 MLB offseason, the Detroit Tigers swapped minor league infielder Devon Travis for outfielder Anthony Gose. Right away, it looked like a bad trade for the Tigers. For a couple of months for the Blue Jays, not only did Devon Travis win the starting job at second base, but he downright lit the world on fire with his bat for awhile!
Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you. Devon Travis is not a 5'9 Babe Ruth. At one point, he was toting a Ruthian slugging percentage over .700! No, it wasn't very sustainable. That being said, Travis was expected to hit. He was not a prodigious slugger in the minor leagues, but he was definitely well above average as a hitter.
Travis would prove to be fast and could beat out more than a handful of infield hits each season. But during his hot streak, he was hitting something like 24% of his flyballs for home runs. No one can keep that up. He did own a healthy 16% line drive percentage. He would be no 30 home run hitter, but he was definitely capable of keeping up the hard-hit singles and doubles.
Devon isn't a Gold Glove caliber defender. But it took him quite awhile to make an error, and for a bit the advanced metrics would see him as a neutral defender. Considering how the second base position was for the Blue Jays in the season before, he was a welcome upgrade.
Unfortunately, injuries would bring Travis' season to an end. He would still prove to be an above average player in 2016, however, as well. While he would go on to make some errors defensively and his bat took a step backwards, he was pretty good and still a slightly above average player. However, his 2017 would see Travis struggling on offense and losing his starting job. Still, Travis has a chance to still be a useful player in 2018 and beyond.
As for the Tigers, they recieved Anthony Gose, who was a decent defender but never hit much at the major league level for the Jays. Gose had a great start with the Tigers, but it was only about 50 plate appearances. His .300+ batting average was held up by a staggering .560+ batting average on balls in play. That is pretty ridiculous and completely impossible to sustain. Meanwhile, Travis had a .400 BABIP or so during the same time, but that wasn't out of character, as Travis enjoyed a .370+ BABIP mark in the minors in 2013. Travis would prove himself. Gose would keep getting chances for the Tigers, and eventually decide to switch to pitching, an experiment on which the jury is still out.
While Devon Travis may never have an All-Star caliber career, he got a great start in the majors and has been a pretty good player for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you. Devon Travis is not a 5'9 Babe Ruth. At one point, he was toting a Ruthian slugging percentage over .700! No, it wasn't very sustainable. That being said, Travis was expected to hit. He was not a prodigious slugger in the minor leagues, but he was definitely well above average as a hitter.
Travis would prove to be fast and could beat out more than a handful of infield hits each season. But during his hot streak, he was hitting something like 24% of his flyballs for home runs. No one can keep that up. He did own a healthy 16% line drive percentage. He would be no 30 home run hitter, but he was definitely capable of keeping up the hard-hit singles and doubles.
Devon isn't a Gold Glove caliber defender. But it took him quite awhile to make an error, and for a bit the advanced metrics would see him as a neutral defender. Considering how the second base position was for the Blue Jays in the season before, he was a welcome upgrade.
Unfortunately, injuries would bring Travis' season to an end. He would still prove to be an above average player in 2016, however, as well. While he would go on to make some errors defensively and his bat took a step backwards, he was pretty good and still a slightly above average player. However, his 2017 would see Travis struggling on offense and losing his starting job. Still, Travis has a chance to still be a useful player in 2018 and beyond.
As for the Tigers, they recieved Anthony Gose, who was a decent defender but never hit much at the major league level for the Jays. Gose had a great start with the Tigers, but it was only about 50 plate appearances. His .300+ batting average was held up by a staggering .560+ batting average on balls in play. That is pretty ridiculous and completely impossible to sustain. Meanwhile, Travis had a .400 BABIP or so during the same time, but that wasn't out of character, as Travis enjoyed a .370+ BABIP mark in the minors in 2013. Travis would prove himself. Gose would keep getting chances for the Tigers, and eventually decide to switch to pitching, an experiment on which the jury is still out.
While Devon Travis may never have an All-Star caliber career, he got a great start in the majors and has been a pretty good player for the Toronto Blue Jays.
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