Red Sox fans: We should still be really high on Rafael Devers
By Damian Dydyn
Rafael Devers is really talented. The Red Sox third baseman is going to be a monster and we should stop asking if our opinions should have changed.
Seriously. Stop asking if we should still be high on Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers. Just knock it off. He’s 21 years old and has already done a bunch of things that either very few players have done, or no one has done before. Most recently, he became the youngest player ever to go 5-5 in any Yankee Stadium. Last season he was just the second lefty ever to homer off of Aroldis Chapman. And it was the fastest pitch ever hit for a home run. At least, since pitch speed tracking began in 2008.
His rookie season, shortened as it was, also put him in some incredibly encouraging company:
He’s a special talent, and despite his struggles this year, he’s still on an historic pace. As of this morning he is headed for 26 HR, 87 RBI, 37 2B in 157 games. How many players have ever done that at age 21 or younger? Just 8. Here they are:
The kid has everything you want to see in a budding superstar.
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Rafael Devers is currently tied for 80th in MLB for the highest rate of Brls/PA. Brls/PA is a measure of extremely high quality contact. A Barrel is a ball in play that yields a BA of .500 or higher and a SLG of 1.500 or higher. It is measured with a combination of exit velocity and launch angle. The higher the exit velocity, the wider the range of launch angles that qualify for a Barrel. But the low end of that exit velocity range is still in the mid-90’s. In short, all Barrels are hit really hard and in the air. For raw Barrels on the year he is tied with a group of six players at 44th, having hit 23 so far. Also in that group? Andrew Benintendi.
Devers also ranks 24th in all of baseball in batted balls at 95 MPH or higher and 21st in average EV. His max EV on the year is 116.3 MPH, well into elite territory. That ties him with Ryan Braun for 14th in all of MLB. The results aren’t quite there in his triple slash line yet. But all of the markers of the raw talent necessary to be one of the best hitters in baseball are. His biggest problem so far is a 6% walk rate. But that’s the kind of thing that develops with experience.
He’s just a wee lad.
Again, he’s just 21 years old. What he’s on pace for this season would be historically great for that age. So the next time he has a bad night at the plate and you find yourself asking whether you should still be high on him? Don’t. He’s going to be a phenomenal hitter for a long time. This time next year, or maybe the year after, you’ll look back at this season and laugh at yourself for doubting him. I promise.
Next: Xander Bogaerts is what he is and that's pretty darned good.
What do you think about Rafael Devers? Is he going to be a top of the league bat? Let us know in the comments!