Not much has gone right for the Boston Red Sox this season but the emergence of Rafael Devers as a future star is a bright spot in 2019.
We haven’t had many positive moments to talk about this season as far as the Red Sox are concerned. One of the few stories that es emerged since Opening Day has been the coronation of Rafael Devers as a star for this team. He made his debut in 2017 and was a major contributor to last year’s World Series championship.
At the beginning of the season, many were worried about Devers in the long-term as he racked up numerous errors in the blink of an eye. Since those early hiccups, Raffy has been a rock at the hot corner for Alex Cora. Raffy has played in 120 of the 123 games this season and only has 18 errors to his name, he’s found his feet at third and it’s showing.
As far as batting is concerned, Devers has been one of the hottest hitters in the American League all season long. He’s currently sitting on a .327 AVG and tacked on his 25th homer today. He also leads the AL with 43 doubles and 94 RBI. Not a bad season at all for a 22-year old that was slated to have split duties in spring training.
The best part of watching Raffy play is seeing the excitement on his face when he cracks a double or comes through big for the team. We saw in last night’s game that despite going 6-6 at the plate with 4 doubles, he was angry with himself for having some fielding miscues. That’s the mentality I want to see from this team and it’s refreshing to see it in such a young player.
Devers is setting himself up to be one of the faces of the Red Sox going forward especially with contracts expiring from Brock Holt and Mookie Betts, both of whom are major fan favorites. With his effort this year and his over the top charisma Raffy is staking his claim as a key figure in the future of the Red Sox.
Raffy has become the king of clutch this year and it feels like when Boston needs him to come through the most he does. On a nightly basis, you can see him at the plate with the look in his eye that he wants to smash the ball to the next zip code.
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Devers is still a bit of an enigma as he doesn’t speak to the media much as he’s still working on his English. Dave O’Brien mentioned during today’s NESN broadcast that Raffy has gotten very good but still isn’t fully confident with the language. When he’s at the plate and makes a mistake though you can sure as hell hear him speak some pretty good English. It’s all part of the fun that is Raffy Devers.
That’s the type of dedication that makes a star, he’s working to improve in all aspects that affect the team. The bottom line of the story on Rafael Devers is that he hasn’t even come close to his prime yet. In the grand scheme of life, he’s still a kid but he’s out here playing as if he’s been in the league for a decade.
He’s not only earned the role of the every day third baseman he damn near took the job from Eduardo Nunez. His talent and potential are off the charts and have so far been matched by his work ethic to create an all-around powerhouse.
There’s going to be some uncertain times with the Red Sox on the not so distant future but one thing feels certain and that’s Rafael Devers. Not only has he blossomed into a strong defender but he’s an absolute savage at the plate as well. If he continues the work ethic that he’s already displayed then he has the potential to be one of the most transcendent players in Red Sox history.