Red Sox rookie Travis Shaw breaking the stigma of being a ballplayer’s son
Rookie Travis Shaw has had a solid start to his Red Sox career.
The nine-year-old wandered around Dodger Stadium with an independent stride. He explored the ballpark by himself, sometimes during batting practice, other times mid-game. As parents gripped the hands of their children while they rushed through the concourses, his had given him permission to walk around solo. He was there because of his father, but determined to make it on his own.
Jeff Shaw made his major league debut two weeks after his son Travis was born in April of 1990. For the next 12 years, Jeff’s career shaped Travis’ childhood.
Since Jeff was from Ohio, the Shaws were able to stay close to home when he played for the Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, and Chicago White Sox, minus a stop with the Montreal Expos. That changed, though, when Jeff was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1998. Travis split his time between Ohio and California over next three seasons. He attended school from August through February in his hometown. Once the season started, he was homeschooled by another Dodgers’ wife who was a former teacher.
“I’d do the rest of my work with her, go to the field with my dad and hang out in the clubhouse,’’ he recalled.
Ballparks became second homes to Travis. He was exposed to different cultures from an early age, which helped shape his perspective. Being around other baseball players was a way of life. He saw how they handled themselves each game, witnessed the work they put in, and met some of his idols.
“The thing that sticks out was probably the All-Star Game in 2001 in Seattle,’’ he told Boston.com from the Fenway Park dugout in a sitdown interview. “I was in the clubhouse, on the field for the Home Run Derby. That right there was an awe moment for me; I was wide-eyed. You see Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr., guys I looked up to all the time.’’
With a father in the majors, it was natural for people to draw comparisons between the two. However Travis didn’t see many similarities. Jeff was a pitcher who threw and batted right-handed; Travis is an infielder who hits lefty. Their physiques differed; Jeff listed at 6-2, 185 pounds, Travis at 6-4, 225 pounds. Jeff, like most of the Shaws, are outgoing while Travis describes himself as “just the complete opposite.’’
Travis Shaw, right, is trying to carve out his own major league career.
There was also a stigma surrounding Travis as he pursued baseball. Once he reached Washington Senior High School in Washington Court House, Ohio, he began to hear criticism and skepticism of his own abilities.
“Everybody thought I didn’t have to earn it — ‘You’re on this team because of your dad,’’’ he recalled. “That pissed me off a lot in high school. That always put a chip on my shoulder, I’m going to show you.’’
While in high school he was named to the Mizuno All-Ohio Team, among other accolades, and helped the team win three South Central Ohio League baseball titles. Yet when he played for Kent State University, people still questioned if he deserved to be there.
“I was in a smaller Division 1 school, but once again they were like, ‘He’s just here because of his dad,’’’ he said. “I started as a freshman and from that point on it was like, ‘I’ll stick it to them.’’’
Shaw blocked out outside opinions and focused on what he could control. He committed himself to a disciplined work ethic. During the 2011 season, Shaw had 51 RBIs and a .553 slugging percentage. He led the Mid-American Conference with 14 homers. That year the Boston Red Sox selected him in the ninth round of the 2011 MLB Draft.
Sons and relatives of former ballplayers are not uncommon in baseball. Once signed to an organization, it doesn’t matter if a player’s father is a Hall of Famer or if no one in his family has ever picked up a ball — that person has to make his way up the ranks with his own talents.
Shaw was ready to make a name for himself. Most of the time when he is asked what his parents do for work, he simply answers, “They are retired.’’
“He’s always been his own person,’’ said Mookie Betts, who has played with Shaw since the minors. “He never really said anything about his dad. Sometimes its kind of hard when your dad played in the Big Leagues and people have expectations. He didn’t want that. He just wanted to go play and be himself.’’
Over the last four years has done that through his performance on the field. He was named a Carolina League All-Star in 2012 and reached Triple-A Pawtucket by 2014. Last season he combined for 21 home runs and 78 RBIs between Double-A and Triple-A. This year he made his major league debut on May 8, 2015.
So began Shaw’s introduction to Fenway Park. He has quickly established himself as an offensive spark, batting .369 through 23 games (.390 as a starter). He has seven multi-hit games, including two four-hit outings and a pair of two-home run games. Through Thursday, he was tied with David Ortiz and Adam Jones for fifth in the American League with six home runs in August. Shaw joined the likes of Sam Horn and Fred Lynn as the third left-handed Red Sox batter with at least five homers in his first 21 career games in the last 100 years.
Travis Shaw has taken very well to Fenway Park, hitting six home runs so far in August.
“He has a lot of confidence and plays the game the right way every day,’’ said Blake Swihart, who has known Travis since minor league ball. “He’s a guy you can rely on. He’s top notch. He goes out there and does everything he can to bring something to this team. There’s not a lot you can say when a guy does everything right.’’
Some obvious generational differences separate Shaw and his father. Travis approaches the plate to Kid Ink’s “Be Real.’’ This is the first season in his entire professional career, however, he has not used a song by a particular pop star.
“I’m, like, obsessed with Rihanna,’’ he said.
Travis became a fan during his sophomore year of college. Prior to his call up to the Red Sox, his at-bat music was the Rihanna hit “We Found Love.’’ His music selections initially caught his Minor League teammates by surprise but eventually gained popularity.
“At first we thought, ‘What the heck?’’’ Christian Vazquez recalled.
Betts added, “I was like, ‘Dude, what is this? Travis, c’mon bro. Not Rihanna.’ As I grew to know him, it’s the music he likes. I listened to it so much that I started getting into it, too.’’
While Shaw is happy with the rap song he has chosen for his rookie season, his Rihanna at-bat days are not over.
“I didn’t want to roll into Fenway with Rihanna,’’ he said. “She’ll make a reappearance at some point.’’
A flurry of home runs has helped Shaw fit right in with his teammates.
Shaw is also particular about what he eats. His favorite meal is buffalo wings in hot sauce (no blue cheese or ranch dressing on the side) and he likes steakhouses when dining out. When it comes time to order, there is one food group he avoids.
“I don’t eat vegetables,’’ he said. “I eat corn. Some people count it, some don’t. I could eat a carrot (if I had to), that would be the one vegetable I would probably eat. I eat all fruit, no vegetables, nothing green. I want a steak and potatoes, as midwest as they get.’’
Being a night person, Travis doesn’t like a lot of breakfast foods. Garin Cecchini, who lived with him this season, chuckled about his roommate’s cuisine.
“He doesn’t eat anything but hamburgers and pizza,’’ Cecchini said.
For every hit and home run Shaw records, he has a special appreciation for what those stats mean. Shaw is a math aficionado whose favorite school subject was calculus. He scored a 32 in the math portion of his ACTs and studied finance in college.
“I love numbers,’’ he said. “I’m more of a concrete thinker — it’s ‘this way’ because of ‘this’. … I can solve equations pretty quickly. Math has always been my thing. It always just came to me.’’
Shaw studies percentages when reading scouting reports. He focuses on the tendencies of opposing pitchers, particularly what they like to do with runners in scoring position, pitches they throw early in the count, and what they do with two strikes on the count.
In the minors, he explained his teammates’ stats to them as well.
“I didn’t know about OBP until he broke it down for me,’’ said Betts. “Some people don’t like looking at their averages and he loves it. He wants to know what he’s hitting and how many homers he has. He uses it and sets goals for himself.’’
Outside of baseball, Shaw is a sports fan. He roots for Ohio State in college football, the Cleveland Browns in the NFL and when it comes to basketball, he explained, “Wherever LeBron (James) goes, I go.’’
The name on the back of Shaw’s jersey will forever link him to his father, but he’s carving his own legacy with each at bat.
“Getting here, it was that ultimate goal reached where you’re like, ‘Did I get here because of my dad? Obviously not,’’’ he said. “People saying that a lot in high school, it fueled me to show I’m not handed anything. I can go get it myself.’’
Photos: This is what Fenway Park used to look like
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