Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers has made the most of his short MLB postseason career. If he keeps it up, he could become an October Legend.
Game three of the ALCS didn’t start off great for Rafael Devers. First, he wasn’t in the starting lineup for the Boston Red Sox. Then he pinch-ran for Eduardo Nunez in the fourth inning and misplayed a ball in the fifth that allowed the Houston Astros to tie the game at 2-2.
That’s when playoff El Baby kicked in though. The top of the sixth saw him draw an eight-pitch walk that started with him being down 0-2. Then in the top of the eighth, Devers singled and eventually scored on the Jackie Bradley Jr. grand slam.
The third baseman finished the day 1-for-1 with a walk and a run, helping the Red Sox pick up a win. That makes him 5-for-11 this postseason. Last year, he went 4-for-11 in the playoffs.
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Combined, Devers is 9-for-22 with four walks and two home runs. He’s driven in seven runs and scored eight more while stealing one base.
It’s not exactly a massive sample size, sure. A .409/.481/.682 slash line in his postseason career is ridiculous though. Especially considering that career started 0-for-5.
The left-handed hitter struggled at the plate for most of the season, hitting .240. He did manage 21 home runs, however, and had some highlight performances throughout the year.
So far, this postseason has added to his highlight reel. Devers consistently makes hard contact and seems to be more patient when October comes. Due to that, he’s on the path to becoming an October Legend.
The 21-year-old has plenty of time left in his career to continue to build that postseason résumé – and it starts in this series.
Although the Red Sox are up 2-1 in the ALCS, there’s no such thing as a comfortable lead in the playoffs. They’ll need all hands on deck if they want to win the World Series, and Devers is currently one of their most dangerous hitters.
In fact, Devers is one of just three Red Sox hitters with a .300-plus average this postseason (minimum of 10 ABs) – leading all with a .455 clip. He’s also fourth on the team in runs scored (5) and second in steals (1). You’d have to imagine the run production would be even higher if he saw more playing time. That time should come though as Devers has made it clear he needs to get his at-bats.
Rafael Devers has done nothing but produce for the Boston Red Sox in the postseason. He could take the next step towards being an October Legend this year – if he’s given the proper chance.