Quick Facts
CancerBiography
Travis Clay Lakins (born June 29, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles organization 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. He made his MLB debut in 2019 with the Boston Red Sox.
Career
Lakins played college baseball for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and in 2014, he pitched a perfect game for the Chillicothe Paints, a collegiate summer baseball team.
The Red Sox selected Lakins in the sixth round of the 2015 MLB Draft, signing him for an above-slot bonus of $320,000. 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. 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.
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 ⁄3 innings of work. 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.
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 ⁄3 innings between both teams. He finished the year rated as the Red Sox' No. 13 prospect, according to MLB.com. 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. 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. He made his MLB debut that day, pitching 2 ⁄3 innings against the Detroit Tigers while allowing one run and striking out two. Lakins was optioned to Pawtucket on April 26. He was recalled on May 23 and optioned back on May 29, then recalled on June 12 and optioned back on June 17. Boston next recalled Lakins on August 12, and optioned him back to Pawtucket on August 20. Lakins was recalled to Boston on September 1, when rosters expanded. 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 ⁄3 innings.
Lakins was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on January 17, 2020. He was traded on January 21, 2020, to the Chicago Cubs for future considerations. Lakins was claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles on January 31. He was informed of the transaction while on a Miami-to-The Bahamas honeymoon cruise with his wife.