Red Sox have 4 prospects in ESPN top-100 list
By Sean Penney
Rafael Devers
Age: 19
Position: 3B
Top Level: Class A
"“Devers established himself as Boston’s top prospect with an impressive all-around performance that showed he has the acumen to match his prodigious tools,” writes Law. “He has huge power, with electric hands and a rotational, balanced swing that allows him to drive off his back leg. For such a big guy, he has remarkable plate coverage, rarely striking out — he was vulnerable just to hard stuff up and in when I saw him — so while his walk rates appear low, he was far from overmatched for an 18-year old in full-season ball.”"
Devers has the type of power bat that the Red Sox will need to replace David Ortiz in the lineup after he retires, but unfortunately the 19-year old isn’t likely to be ready by 2017. His age puts him on a path to line up perfectly with when incumbent third baseman Pablo Sandoval‘s contract runs out after the 2019 season, presuming the Red Sox have no intention of picking up his $17 million team option for 2020.
Law also points to Devers’ defense at the hot corner as a potential concern. While he sounds optimistic that Devers can stick at the position, the Red Sox may have the flexibility to move him to first base by the time he’s ready. Hanley Ramirez currently occupies that spot, but he’s expected to take over the DH role from Ortiz after this season. If the Red Sox turn to a short-term solution to cover first base next year then they could groom Devers for that spot down the line, where his bat would still profile quite well.
Next: Yoan Moncada