BOSTON — Travis Shaw is positioned well with the Boston Red Sox.

In the Fenway Park clubhouse, Shaw walks toward his locker between Dustin Pedroia and Jackie Bradley Jr., a secure spot meaning he’s not going back to the minors.

In the lineup, Shaw has moved up to fifth, “and he’s going to stay there awhile. He deserves that,” said Red Sox interim manager Tory Lovullo.

On the field, Shaw continues to man first base, giving Boston its best defense there all season.

But saying all that – and did we mention Shaw’s .350 batting average? – how in the name of Sam Horn can the Red Sox simply hand over the first-base job to Shaw next season?

The problem is the sample size. Yes, Shaw has a 1.035 OPS and six home runs, but Shaw has all of 27 games of Major League experience.

Thus, new Red Sox President Dave Dombrowski has a decision to make for first base – the one position with an honest-to-goodness vacancy in 2016, since the trade of Mike Napoli.

Shaw, 25, can’t help but notice Napoli’s absence – he has Napoli’s old locker – but Shaw knows better than to get caught up in playing armchair general manager.

“I only can control what I can control – my performance and my numbers,” Shaw said. “Just try to continue what I’m doing and hopefully that will put me in a good spot going forward into next year.”

Shaw found himself in a similar position in August of 2012. He had recently been called up to Double-A Portland, when the Red Sox pulled off their mega-trade, which sent first-baseman Adrian Gonzalez to the Dodgers.

It may have been a longshot for Shaw to be considered for the majors in 2013, but he tried too hard to impress. He tried to create more power, and ended up with his worst-ever season, batting .221/.736 OPS.

“I’ve grown up a lot since then,” Shaw said.

Or, as Red Sox assistant hitting coach Victor Rodriguez said, “he got back to what he is … He is a gap to gap kind of guy, and especially in this field. This place is perfect for him.”

Indeed, Shaw is hitting .448 at Fenway, with four doubles and six home runs.

Conversely, Shaw is hitting only .091 on the road, but that is only for 10 games (2 for 22).

Again, the problem here is sample size. That is why we earlier brought up Sam Horn, the quintessential rookie call-up sensation. Summoned by Boston on July 25, 1987, in the midst of a losing season, Horn batted .278/.945 with 14 home runs in 46 games.

But Horn spent most of the next two seasons in Triple-A, hitting only two more major league homers for Boston, before being released after the 1989 season.

But Shaw is a disciplined hitter and not just a go-for-it slugger. He has struck out only 15 times and has walked six, while averaging 4.01 pitches per at-bat. According to fangraphs.com, he hits to all fields, concentrating in right. One of his home runs sailed over the Green Monster, another to center.

“When everything is going to center and left center, that’s how I know my swing is going pretty good and I’m pretty locked in,” Shaw said.

And he can adjust. Royals starter Edinson Volquez avoided throwing too many fastballs to Shaw, including none in his third at-bat. Shaw waited on a 2-2 change-up and lined it into right field for a double in the sixth.

“He has a very confident, aggressive approach at the plate,” Lovullo said. “There is a just an overall progression that he has followed that has led him to this point.

“He has had a lot of success that we don’t want to interrupt … I see a guy who is ready for that challenge.”

Shaw said it got his attention when he noticed his name fifth in the lineup recently.

“When you see your name ahead of Hanley (Ramirez) it’s, um, interesting,” Shaw said. “For them to have that confidence and put me in the middle of the order means a lot.”

But just as Shaw persevered during his lousy 2013 season in Portland, he’s careful not to let the 2015 stats go to his head.

“Same thing. Every day is a new day,” Shaw said. “I still have a lot to prove.”

He’s also proving it with a solid glove at first. According to fangraphs.com, Shaw ranks first defensively among all American League first baseman with at least 100 innings.

Sure, the sample is small. But for now, the Red Sox have themselves a promising first baseman in house.

 

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