Red Sox Prospect Watch: Halfway Point of the Season
By Mike El-Far
Portland Sea Dogs
In 2017, Hadlock Field has been the showcase of one player. The 20 year old Dominican sensation at the hot corner, Rafael Devers has put on a show for the great people of Maine. One of the best prospects not only for the Red Sox, but all of baseball, Devers has been on fire for the Sea Dogs.
Devers is currently on the temporary inactive list. What that means is the player is not hurt, but he is unable to play. There are a couple reasons that this happens. Sometimes it is because the player is dealing with a family emergency. That is not the case for Devers.
The reason he is on this list is due to acquisitions the Red Sox have made. Pablo Sandoval is currently on a rehab stint for an ear infection. Dave Dombrowski signed Jhonny Peralta to a minor league contract a couple weeks ago. The school of thought is that the Red Sox will be releasing one of these two players (probably Peralta), and Devers will be getting called up to Pawtucket once that roster move happens.
Rafael Devers is hitting .300 with 18 home runs in 77 games this season. Again, he is only 20 years old. Make no mistake, he is the future of third base for the Boston Red Sox. But, expect him to make his major league debut when the rosters expand to 40 men in September.
If Devers is able to effectively hit at the major league level, there is a good chance that when the Red Sox go into the postseason, he is the third baseman. If not, he could be the everyday third baseman as early as April/May of next season.