Travis Lakins
Travis Clay Lakins Sr.[1] (born June 29, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). Listed at 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) and 180 pounds (82 kg), he throws and bats right-handed.[2] He made his MLB debut in 2019 with the Boston Red Sox.
Travis Lakins | |||
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Lakins with the Red Sox in 2019 | |||
Baltimore Orioles – No. 70 | |||
Pitcher | |||
Born: Middletown, Ohio | June 29, 1994|||
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MLB debut | |||
April 23, 2019, for the Boston Red Sox | |||
MLB statistics (through 2020 season) | |||
Win–loss record | 3–3 | ||
Earned run average | 3.31 | ||
Strikeouts | 43 | ||
Teams | |||
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Career
Lakins attended Franklin High School. Lakins played college baseball for the Ohio State Buckeyes,[3] and in 2014, he pitched a perfect game for the Chillicothe Paints, a collegiate summer baseball team.[4]
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox selected Lakins in the sixth round of the 2015 MLB Draft, signing him for an above-slot bonus of $320,000.[2] Lakins struck out three batters in two shutout innings during his only appearance with the Class A Short Season Lowell Spinners in 2015. He then pitched for the GCL Red Sox, but only in the playoffs.[2] In his brief stint, Lakins showed a quick arm from a three-quarters arm slot, offering a three-pitch mix with a fastball-curveball-changeup combination, with his fastball sitting at 92–94 mph (148–151 km/h) and topping out at 96 with a bit of sink and run. The curveball flashed plus-potential at 75–76 mph (121–122 km/h) with two-plane, tight rotation and hard snap, while the changeup ranged 83–87 mph (134–140 km/h) and also showed plus potential with late dive away from left-handed hitters when down in the zone. He also used a heavy mix of curveballs and changeups both early and behind in counts, showing consistency with the secondaries pitches and refined command and control overall.[5]
In 2016, Lakins was promoted two levels up to the Class A-Advanced Salem Red Sox. In the month of April, he led the Salem pitching staff with a 3–1 record and a 2.13 ERA in four starts, striking out 26 and walking 10 in 25 1⁄3 innings of work.[2] In early August, Lakins was placed on the disabled list with right elbow inflammation and did not pitch for the rest of the season. He went 6–3 in 19 starts and a relief appearance, featuring a 5.93 ERA with 79 strikeouts and 36 walks in 91 innings.[2]
Lakins spent 2017 with both Salem and the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs, posting a combined 5–4 record with a 4.21 ERA in 68 1⁄3 innings between both teams.[6] He finished the year rated as the Red Sox' No. 13 prospect, according to MLB.com.[5] Lakins started the 2018 season with Double-A Portland. At the end of July, he was promoted to the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox. Overall for the 2018 season, Lakins made 36 appearances, compiling a record of 3–2 with an ERA of 2.32 and three saves.
The Red Sox added Lakins to their 40-man roster after the 2018 season.[7] Lakins opened the 2019 season with Pawtucket, and on April 23, he was added to Boston's major league active roster for the first time.[8] He made his MLB debut that day, pitching 2 2⁄3 innings against the Detroit Tigers while allowing one run and striking out two.[9] Lakins was optioned to Pawtucket on April 26.[10] He was recalled on May 23 and optioned back on May 29,[11] then recalled on June 12 and optioned back on June 17.[12] Boston next recalled Lakins on August 12, and optioned him back to Pawtucket on August 20.[13] Lakins was recalled to Boston on September 1, when rosters expanded.[14] Overall with the 2019 Red Sox, Lakins appeared in 16 games (three starts), compiling an 0–1 record with 3.86 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 23 1⁄3 innings.
Lakins was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on January 17, 2020.[15]
Baltimore Orioles
He was traded on January 21, 2020, to the Chicago Cubs for future considerations.[16] Lakins was claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles on January 31.[17] He was informed of the transaction while on a Miami-to-The Bahamas honeymoon cruise with his wife.[18] In 22 appearances for the Orioles in 2020, Lakins pitched to a 2.81 ERA and 25 strikeouts over 25.2 innings.[19]
References
- Crowell, Jim (September 1, 2020). "2015 Draft Retrospective: The picks". soxprospects.com. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
goes by Travis Lakins Sr. after the birth of his son
- "Sox-Prospects.com – Travis Lakins page".
- "Travis Lakins". ohiostatebuckeyes.com. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- "Boston's Travis Lakins Tossed a Perfect Game for the Paints". prospectleague.com. February 9, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- 2017 MLB Prospects Watch – 2017 Boston Red Sox Top 30 Prospects Watch. MLB.com. Retrieved on September 8, 2017.
- "Travis Lakins Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". milb.com. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
- "Red Sox's Travis Lakins: Contract purchased". CBS Sports. November 20, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- Cotillo, Chris (April 23, 2019). "Boston Red Sox call up Darwinzon Hernandez, Travis Lakins; Bobby Poyner optioned to Pawtucket". Masslive.com. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- "Tigers vs. Red Sox - Box Score". ESPN. April 23, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- "Red Sox Roster & Staff – Transactions". MLB.com. April 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- "Red Sox Roster & Staff – Transactions". MLB.com. May 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- "Red Sox Roster & Staff – Transactions". MLB.com. June 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
- "Red Sox Roster & Staff – Transactions". MLB.com. August 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
- "Red Sox Roster & Staff – Transactions". MLB.com. September 2019. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
- "Red Sox Roster & Staff – Transactions". MLB.com. January 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- "Cubs Roster & Staff – Transactions". MLB.com. January 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- Kubatko, Roch. "Orioles claim Travis Lakins and DFA Stevie Wilkerson," Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), Friday, January 31, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2020
- Dubroff, Rich. "Orioles add Milone to starting rotation competition; Cobb’s first bullpen session; Lakins gets O’s news on a cruise," BaltimoreBaseball.com, Thursday, February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2020
- https://www.mlb.com/player/travis-lakins-sr-664042
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)