Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers earns AL Player of the Week

Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers has been named by Major League Baseball as the American League Player of the Week.

Rafael Devers has been one of the league’s best hitters this season and nobody has been hotter than the Boston Red Sox third baseman over the past week. Major League Baseball took notice, naming Devers the American League Player of the Week for August 12-18.

Devers is coming off a monstrous week in which he hit .593/.633/1.185 with three home runs, seven doubles, seven runs scored and 11 RBI.

Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed earned the honors in the National League. While his .423/.464/1.038 slash line for the week was impressive, it pales in comparison to what Devers produced.

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The 22-year old is currently riding an eight-game hitting streak that includes six multi-hit games.

This past week was highlighted by some epic offensive displays by Devers. A 6-for-6 performance in Cleveland made him the first Red Sox hitter since Nomar Garciaparra in 2003 to collect six hits in a game. It also marked the first time in the modern era that an MLB player has recorded six hits and four doubles in a game.

Devers drove in four runs on four hits on Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles. His two-run homer in the seventh inning brought his RBI total to 101 for the season, making him the first player in the majors to cross the century mark this season.

He also put himself in some rare company during this scorching hitting streak. Devers became the first player with 100+ RBI and 100+ runs scored in a season before turning 23 years old since Miguel Cabrera in 2005. Ted Williams is the only other Red Sox hitter in franchise history to cross the century mark in both categories before that age (1939, 1940).

August started out slow for Devers, who sputtered through a 2-for-21 stretch to begin the month. The Red Sox lost all five of those games. The slump didn’t last long though. Devers is now hitting .338 with a 1.074 OPS this month, quickly making us forget his struggles as the dog days of summer set in.

His outstanding week has vaulted Devers toward the top of the leaderboards. He’s now third in the league with a .332 batting average and second with a .976 OPS. Devers leads the league with 167 hits, 46 doubles, 76 extra-base hits, and 101 RBI.

The Player of the Week honor serves as a reminder that Devers is among the best hitters in baseball. He’s tied for fifth in the league in WAR despite his defensive and base running shortcomings holding him back. His WAR ranking and Boston’s fading playoff hopes may ultimately cost Devers a chance at the MVP award but there’s no doubting that he’s one of the game’s brightest young stars.