Age: 24
Born: August 27, 1993
Chicago, IL
Height: 6-0
Weight: 205
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Drafted: 2nd round, 2014; 40th round, 2011 by Cincinnati
How Acquired: Draft
College: Indiana
High School: Providence Catholic (IL)
ETA: Late 2018

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2014 Top 40 Season in Review
2015 Top 40 Season in Review
Sam Travis: Obsessed with winning (4.13.16)
Scouting Scratch (9.7.17)

Physical Description: Undersized, but has a strong, muscular build. Filled-out frame with limited remaining physical projection. Not overly athletic.

Hit: Solid approach and strong contact skills. Compact swing lends itself to hard contact to all fields. Swing lacks loft. Solid-average bat speed. Could struggle with velocity, as his swing can get long and he has shown vulnerability to fastballs inside. Tracks pitches, works counts and understands the strike zone. Potential solid-average hit tool. Reportedly changed swing path during 2017-18 offseason to add more loft and, therefore, more power. SoxProspects.com Scouting Staff will update report after scouting looks.

Power: Fringe-average power potential. Above-average raw power, but doesn’t translate to games, where he has a more line drive-oriented swing. Propensity for hard contact. Strength could eventually allow him to settle into around 15 home runs a season. SoxProspects.com Scouting Staff will update power projection after getting scouting looks at new swing path.

Arm: Average arm strength. Plenty of arm for first base, but doesn’t get to show it off often.

Field: Solid athlete for a first baseman. Soft hands, confident picking balls out of the dirt. Potential above-average defender. Was going to see time in the outfield during 2017-18 Dominican winter league, but an injury limited him to just one game in left field. Saw some time in the outfield during 2018 Spring Training and reportedly will continue to do so. SoxProspects.com Scouting Staff will update report after seeing Travis in the outfield.

Run: Below-average runner. Not a major part of his game. Above-average instincts on the bases. Smart baserunner.

Career Notes: Played for Team USA Collegiate team after his sophomore season at Indiana. Broke hamate bone in right hand before start of sophomore season at Indiana, but played through college season and summer with Team USA before undergoing surgery that August. Participated in 2014 Fall Instructional League. 2016 season ended in May when he tore his left ACL. A hip injury limited him to just 10 games in the Dominican winter league in 2017.

Summation: Ceiling of a second-division regular. Projects as a platoon, role player who can come off the bench or start in the right matchups. Tough profile in the modern game due to lack of power and undersized frame at a primary run-producing position. Bat will determine value because he is limited to first base. Possesses solid instincts and is a notoriously hard worker. If work to generate more power at the plate, as well as more defensive versatility, pays off, could increase his chances of sticking in the major leagues significantly.