Well that didn’t take long at all. The day after going hitless with two walks in his Major League debut, Boston Red Sox top prospect Rafael Devers decided to up the bar today with a monster home run for his first career hit.
A beautiful sight for the weary Red Sox fans’ eyes. Just look at that ball fly. That’s no cheap homer either, that is a genuine moonshot. According to DingerTracker that ball came off the bat at 109 mph and went 427 feet to dead center at Safeco Park.
If that doesn’t get you excited about this kid’s potential, this should:
At 20 years and 275 days old, Rafael Devers is the youngest Red Sox player to hit a HR since Tony Conigliaro in September 1965.
— J.P. Long (@SoxNotes) July 26, 2017
That’s some good company there, kid.
Finally, after weeks of terrible play from 3rd base, Devers flashing some power is a beautiful thing. That bat is a welcome addition to a Red Sox lineup that’s been lacking power all season.
Welcome to the show, kid! @Rafael_Devers’ first career hit leaves the yard! pic.twitter.com/QSnU2c6Ks5
— Red Sox (@RedSox) July 26, 2017
It remains to be seen how the Red Sox coaching staff will use Devers this season, especially after the Red Sox acquired Giants third baseman, Eduardo Nunez, late last night.
Nunez, 30, offers a mostly cheap, established option at third. Expect Nunez to be good for the team, but not great. He’s a solid defender who’s having a career year at the plate in terms of average without much power. This season he’s batting .308/.334/.417 with 4 home runs for San Fransisco.
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It seems like he’ll platoon with the rookie, so expect Nunez to regularly see lefty pitching (whom he’s sporting a .299/.326/.414 line against) with Devers getting the starts against righties.
For more on Nunez’ potential contributions this season, check out Daniel Cassese’s take here.
You would think that a rookie, whose biggest weakness is his glove, should be in a position where he can play every day and work on that defense. It’s times like these you have to trust that John Farrell and the Sox coaching staff have Dever’s best interests in mind.
Next: Red Sox: The losing streak is over; Chris Sale continues his dominance
Hopefully, they won’t stunt the young player’s development leaving him on the bench too much. Sort of like they did with Sam Travis his second time in Boston this season. 26 ABs in 28 days is not a great recipe for rookie success.