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MLB

Toronto Blue Jays’ Devon Travis On Track To Be American League’s Top Rookie

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Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

For  a team who currently sits four games under .500, the Toronto Blue Jays can smile with the play of their young second baseman. Devon Travis has been a bright spot this season and drawn some of the attention away from big-time sluggers Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. Originally selected in the 13th round out of Florida State by the Detroit Tigers, Travis had always been an intriguing prospect.

Given the Tigers’ second base situation with Ian Kinsler starting, there was no room for Travis on the 25-man roster, and they needed an outfielder. This led to a trade which sent Travis to Toronto in exchange for speedy outfielder Anthony Gose.

Toronto willingly brought Travis aboard, and he ultimately grabbed the starting job in Spring Training and has played at a high level since. His performance may not earn him an All-Star Game spot, but people are beginning to take notice of the young infielder. He is hitting .271 on the season with seven home runs and 26 RBIs and has cemented himself amongst the top rookies in the American League.

Although the season is still young, Travis has taken an early lead and put himself in the driver’s spot for the AL Rookie of the Year honors. The second baseman currently finds himself on the disabled list dating back to his last appearance on May 18.

Once you look at the stats deeper, they begin to stand out more. His seven home runs rank third among AL second baseman, and that is even more impressive when you take into consideration that Travis has played in 17 less games than most of the ones who rank ahead of him. Travis would also rank sixth for batting average amongst AL second baseman if he had enough at-bats to qualify.

Travis is a player on the rise for the Blue Jays, and once he returns from injury, expect him to keep making a statement.

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