Red Sox: Two unlikely players have made the difference
Rafael Devers moving up quickly on the road to Boston
Devers was excellent in Double-A Portland, slashing .300/18/56/0 in 77 games followed by a Triple-A Pawtucket stint where he slashed .400/2/4/0 in 9 games before his call up to Boston. While his numbers were never expected to be this good this fast, he’s been nothing short of amazing, posting a .349/3/6/1 line. Devers hadn’t stolen a base in 86 games at AA and AAA combined. However, in his 11th game for Boston he stole his first base.
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No one expected Devers to move up this quickly. He was good but no one thought he’d be in Boston before 2017 was over, myself included. When the Red Sox released the Panda from AAA after his rehab stint was over, Devers found himself in Pawtucket. After quickly realizing that the competition still wasn’t an issue, Dombrowski pulled all stops in bringing up the 20-year old rookie phenom. While this youngster has plenty to learn, one thing that’s apparent is his power.
The Red Sox are the worst team in the American League when it comes to hitting home runs. Good news is that Devers is one of the guys that will lead the team in due time. His power is unbelievable. Not many players hit balls that look like they’re going to be pop outs and then turn out to be home runs over left field at Fenway Park. This team could look very good in the near future once Devers has blossomed into a full blown star.