Rafael Devers has committed a league-worst 20 errors on the season. What do the Red Sox need to do to make sure it doesn’t cost them going forward?
Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers undoubtedly has the tools to become an All-Star in one day. He has shown the power scouts raved over for years. His body size resembles that of an everyday veteran type of player. Also, he has proven that he can hit the ball for contact as well as for power.
However, there is one major flaw that has come along with Devers this season; his glove.
Devers owns a league-worst 20 errors and has committed them in 804.1 defensive innings. That comes out to a .927 fielding percentage, by far the worst among all position players on the Red Sox. The next worst would be Tzu-Wei Lin, who has a .969 fielding percentage in 125.2 defensive innings.
For Devers, it’s not only his glove that’s an issue. He’s shown some accuracy issues as well that have played a factor in his 20 errors.
Rafael Devers has made 20 errors. 9 have been throwing errors. He made a throwing error yesterday. He made two bad throws today that didn't result in throwing errors thanks to Steve Pearce.
— Christopher Smith (@SmittyOnMLB) July 22, 2018
Now, his fielding issues are nothing new. Last season after his call-up he committed 14 errors in 507.2 defensive innings, a .906 fielding percentage. Even as a minor leaguer it was often reported that everything except his glove was major league ready.
On the other hand, Devers is still very young. He is set to turn 22-years-old come October. Therefore he still has a lot of time to perfect his fielding skills. However, that doesn’t help the Red Sox at this point in time in a tight division race.
Don’t get me wrong, Devers has flashed potential in the field. He has had his share of head-turning plays. However, those plays from him don’t come consistently. In fact, his 20 errors may suggest he has more slip-ups than he does good plays.
With the Red Sox entering the dog days of the season each game is becoming more important. Although the Yankees may be 5.5 games back as of right now, you can assure yourself they won’t be backing down. Then come playoff time the games obviously become even more important. Is Devers’ glove something the Red Sox can rely on come big-time games?
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This situation would be much easier if Devers was having an unbelievable season at the plate. However, he isn’t. His .242 batting average, 14 homers, and 50 RBI aren’t awful. However, that line isn’t enough to turn the other cheek when considering his glove.
Guys like Brock Holt and Eduardo Nunez are more than capable of playing third base in lieu of Devers. I get it, his power numbers are much better than Holt and Nunez. Devers has exactly double the number of home runs than Holt and Nunez combined (14 to 7). He is also slugging .416, whereas Holt is slugging .377 and Nunez .354. However, both have a better batting average and Holt has a better OBP (.359 to Devers .290) and Nunez isn’t far behind (.279).
More importantly, both Holt and Nunez have better fielding percentages. Holt has yet to commit an error in 453.1 defensive innings and Nunez just three in 684.1 defensive innings (.987 fielding percentage).
So, where would that leave Devers? With J.D. Martinez serving as the primary designated hitter for the Sox, it may seem like he is the odd man out. However, Alex Cora may want to consider letting Martinez flash his leather a bit more and have Devers put his to the side.
Obviously, this can’t happen each and every game. In fact, Devers has played third base in 89 of his 90 games and served as DH just once. But how about letting Devers DH a bit more against left-handed hitters? That way you can get Jackie Bradley Jr. out of the lineup as he is hitting .197 against lefties, keep Martinez in as an outfielder and choose between Holt or Nunez as that day’s third basemen.
Cora can plug in whomever he feels comfortable with at third base in any situation. The Red Sox are playing too well right now and are in too tight have a race to keep risking games at the hands of Devers fielding.
I’m certainly not suggesting the Red Sox give up on Devers. His future is far too bright and he has plenty of time to fix his fielding struggles. However, to make a World Series run in this magical season the Red Sox may want to explore all of their defensive and lineup options.