Travis Honeyman is his own biggest critic on way to MLB draft
Editor’s note: The St. Louis Cardinals selected OF Travis Honeyman with the No. 90 pick in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft on July 10.
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. (BVM) –Boston College’s Travis Honeyman is one of the most highly sought-after prospects for this upcoming MLB draft. According to MLB.com, he is the No. 23 player in the class.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound outfielder is a great athlete that has a knack for making contact. On top of that, he has power potential along with a good glove on the grass to make him as coveted as he is.
RF Travis Honeyman (Boston College, 2023) gets on this fastball early and smokes it into LCF, then turns on the jets for a triple. Potential first rounder, lots of above average tools with a good body and strong feel for contact and the barrel. pic.twitter.com/ft8F0Nv6q3
— Will Hoefer (@whoeferbaseball) March 4, 2023
But Honeyman will not be the first in his family to have a professional career. His uncle played for the Tigers and his older brother, Bobby, spent a few years in the Seattle Mariners’ organization.
“Baseball has been around in my family for quite some time,” Honeyman said. “Having a family like that, I feel like baseball was the only sport that they would want me to play. Right when I started playing, I loved it.”
Travis began his baseball journey kind of late, not starting until he was 9 or 10. By the time he did, Bobby had already established himself as one of the best players in Massapequa, New York, where they grew up.
Despite maybe not having the same type of playing experience as some of the other kids his age, Travis always had the desire to be as good as Bobby.
“When I started, I wanted to be just like him,” Honeyman said. “I just worked really hard at it.”
With the amount of work he put in, it was evident that he would have a future in the game of baseball. This led to his opportunity at Boston College where he has blossomed.
Honeyman played one game for the Eagles as a freshman but then burst onto the scene the following summer in the NECBL.
In 30 games for the Ocean State Waves, he hit for an average of .430, breaking the league’s record that was set in 1997. Honeyman would also take home league MVP.
“I felt like I had something to prove,” Honeyman said. “I just went out there and started running and doing well.”
The following season back at Boston College, Honeyman became an everyday player for the Eagles, hitting .329 with a .908 OPS as a sophomore. He struck out only 16 times in 164 plate appearances that year.
Travis Honeyman had a day! Leadoff man homered twice and went 4-for-4 in 18-8 win at USF.
Eagles and Bulls back at it today at 2 p.m. >> https://t.co/5zpEVEWltupic.twitter.com/D3sUrQvy9o
— Boston College Baseball (@BCBirdBall) March 9, 2022
Now a junior, Honeyman is in his draft-eligible season. But that is the furthest thing from his mind.
“I’ve tried to pay as little attention to it as possible because everyone has different opinions,” Honeyman said. “None of it really matters until the day actually comes.”
One guy in Honeyman’s corner is former Boston College teammate Sal Frelick. Frelick was in Honeyman’s situation when Travis was a freshman prior to being selected No. 15 overall by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2021 MLB Draft.
Whenever he needs it, Frelick has been the perfect guy to go to for advice.
“I want to be exactly like Sal,” Honeyman said. “He’s given me a lot of advice about what to do and what not to do. Having a guy like that is awesome.”
Being in the situation of a draft prospect, every writer for every outlet has some type of grade or number or ceiling for each player. But for Honeyman, he does not pay attention to any of the outside noise.
“My main source of pressure is from myself,” Honeyman said. “I’ve always been very hard on myself and expect myself to be perfect. But that’s a good thing.”
Here's the web gem of a catch from @BCBirdBall LF Travis Honeyman to start the seventh inning.
The sophomore has settled in nicely to the starting left fielder role in 2022. pic.twitter.com/oh9yPyA27p
— Bradley Smart (@bradleysmart15) February 25, 2022
Honeyman has goals of being a major leaguer and a Hall of Famer, but for the time being, he only cares about getting the Eagles to the playoffs and making a run.
“This year I’m only focused on winning.”
