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If you look back at the past ten-years for the Red Sox, they've spent a good chunk of that time filling holes on the roster. Whether it was a shortstop to replace Nomar, a closer to replace Papelbon, or just any starting pitcher with an ERA under four, the Sox have been busy.
One spot that has seemingly been handled flawlessly is first-base. From Doug Mientkiewicz, David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilus, Victor Martinez, Adrian Gonzalez, and now Mike Napoli, they've been historically strong at the first stop around the diamond.
Looking at the way the roster sits now, Napoli is doing a solid job as the everyday starting first-basemen (.271 avg., .386 OBP., and above average defense). Napoli, however, is 32-years-old, with a contract that is up at the end of 2015. While time will only tell how the former catcher will look come next Fall, it's unclear whether Boston is going to want to extend him.
Lets just say, for the sake of the argument, that Mike and Boston choose to part ways. Maybe his health started to deteriorate, maybe he was asking for too much cash, who knows. The point is, he's gone, and a replacement is needed. Come next offseason, David Ortiz will be 39-years-old, 40 by the time Spring Training rolls along. Like it or not, his days of playing first-base are over (and they have been , for quite some time actually) so if Ortiz is even still around by then, he isn't an option.
In that case, I could easily see Boston signing some veteran stopgap there for the time being, or even moving Allen Craig to first, if they wanted to. But at most, either of those options only helps Boston for a year or two, max, before they have to find out who their true starting first-baseman is for the long haul.
So I ask you, what is one thing the Boston Red Sox have done better than almost every team in the league for the past ten years or so? Developing young talent. Boston's next long term first-baseman isn't on the 25-man roster right now. He isn't about to hit free agency, or be traded for. He's actually playing for the Greenville Drive right now, the Class-A team of the Boston Red Sox, and his name is Sam Travis.
Travis, a 20-year-old first-baseman, drafted in the second round of the 2014 June Amateur Draft out of Indiana University, has started his professional career off on the right foot. Beginning in Low-A Lowell, Travis hit .333 in 40 games, with four home runs, 30 RBIs, and a wRC+ of 138. His torrid start didn't go unnoticed, as he was soon promoted to Class-A Greenville where (although in a small five-game sample size) is hitting .474.
Travis is a natural hitter, with a fast swing that can drive the ball, but can also get on base via walks. According to scouts, he could be a 20-25 home run hitter at the peak of his career. Couple in the fact that Boston A) is weak at first-base on the prospect end of things, and B) can progress players better than most teams around the league, Travis has a decent shot of making it to the majors with Boston.
Now, the big question is when he could see the bigs. Well, at age 20 and in Class-A, he's off to a good start. By the end of 2015, he could easily be in Double-A Portland, and break camp in 2016 with Pawtucket. This is all "best-case-scenario" assuming no major injuries derail him, and he doesn't start to decline. It's safe to say that he could be Major League ready in two-three years, or at the age of 22-23.
By the end of 2015, the Sox will have to adress their impending first-base situation, and whether they want to go young and home-grown, or open their wallets and hit the open market. But with the start that Sam Tarvis is off to, it might be hard to say no to him in the near future.