Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers is a sleeper MVP candidate
By Kyle Grondin
Rafael Devers had an impressive 2019 for the Red Sox, he was one of the best offensive players in the MLB. Why isn’t he be in the MVP discussion in 2020?
Rafael Devers finished 12th in the American League MVP voting in 2019 for the Boston Red Sox. Currently, he’s not ranked in the top ten for odds in 2020 by TheLines.com. Is the dynamic third baseman being overlooked for MVP?
The leap made from Devers from year one to year two was exactly what the Red Sox were hoping for. He improved his batting average by .071 points and his on-base percentage by .063 points, becoming one of the most dynamic hitters in the Boston lineup.
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In fact, he was second on the Red Sox in Wins Above Replacement and fifth in the American League in Offensive WAR. He was one of the best players in baseball despite a slow August and September in which his numbers dipped slightly, as his batting average was below .300 each of those months.
What is surprising is the amount of people overlooking Devers for 2020. His MVP odds stand at 14th highest to win the AL MVP, with +4000 odds for the season. As he enters his age 23 season, shouldn’t he be even better than last year, especially as the Mookie Betts trade now puts him and Xander Bogaerts as the key players to the Red Sox offense?
Thus far in spring training, Devers has two home runs in 15 at-bats. If he can improve on his power from last season, when he hit 32, he should no doubt be one of the best offensive players in baseball. He’s a great hitter at all levels and his spot in the lineup, at likely second in the order, has him protected by Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez, he’ll get plenty of opportunities to hit and see good pitches throughout the year.
The obvious concern with Devers has been his defense, where he finished third in the MLB with 22 errors on the season. He finished 10th overall in WAR despite his sensational offensive production because of his defense. He doesn’t need to be a Gold Glove level player, but if he isn’t a negative on defense he should challenge Alex Bregman as one of the best third baseman in baseball.
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Devers may not be able to supplant Mike Trout for the American League MVP, but there’s no doubt he’s one of the best players in baseball, and one of the most important players for the Red Sox. If he can continue his production from 2019, while improving his defense and consistency, he’ll be in the discussion in September.