Red Sox star Rafael Devers sets franchise record for hits before age 23
By Sean Penney
Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers has set single-season franchise records for hits and extra-base hits by a player under the age of 23.
The hits keep on coming for Rafael Devers. The third baseman for the Boston Red Sox is second in the majors with 196 hits this season, moving him into historic territory for a player his age.
The 22-year old is the youngest Red Sox hitter to reach this lofty hit total in a single season. Xander Bogaerts held the previous franchise record for hits by a player under the age of 23 with 194 in 2015.
Most hits by a Red Sox player in a season, all before turning 23:
— J.P. Long (@SoxNotes) September 26, 2019
1. Rafael Devers – 195 (2019)
2. Xander Bogaerts – 194 (2015)
3. Ted Williams – 193 (1940)
Prior to Devers, the last AL player with 195+ hits in a season before turning 23 was Alex Rodriguez (215 in 1996).
The last major league hitter to collect this many hits in a season before turning 23 was Alex Rodriguez, who tallied 215 hits as a 20-year old with the Seattle Mariners in 1996. A-Rod led the majors with 213 hits in 1998 but turned 23 in July of that season. Devers won’t see his 23rd birthday until next month when the season is over.
Devers also enters the day tied with Chicago’s Nicholas Castellanos for the major-league lead with 88 extra-base hits. The Red Sox third baseman has collected a major league-leading 52 doubles to go along with 32 home runs and four triples.
Devers homered and doubled during Wednesday night’s win over the Texas Rangers. His seventh-inning home run moved him ahead of Ted Williams for the most single-season extra-base hits in franchise history before the age of 23. Devers added to his record total with a double in the ninth.
Most extra-base hits by a Red Sox player in a season, all before turning 23:
— J.P. Long (@SoxNotes) September 26, 2019
1. Rafael Devers – 87 (2019)
2. Ted Williams – 86 (1939)
3. Ted Williams – 80 (1940)
4. Bobby Doerr – 69 (1940)
5. Mookie Betts – 68 (2015)
His latest double also moved Devers ahead of Wade Boggs for the most in franchise history by a third baseman. Boggs collected a career-high 51 doubles in 1989.
The production in his breakout campaign is historically great when you consider his youth but Devers has been among the game’s best hitters in any age bracket this season. His .310 batting average ranks fifth in the American League, his .556 SLG is sixth and he’s ninth with a .917 OPS.
Devers is tied with Bogaerts, among others, for 18th in the league in home runs. The pair of Red Sox infielders are the first teammates in MLB history to hit 30+ home runs and 50+ doubles in the same season. They are currently the only players in the majors to reach both of those benchmarks this season.
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It’s fitting that the baby-faced Devers is setting records for Red Sox players by a certain age. We joke about how the player nicknamed “Carita” looks like a teenager still in high school who gets ice cream as a treat when he plays well. He may still look like a kid but when it comes to his production at the plate, Devers has emerged as “The Man” this season.