Red Sox: Rafael Devers’ defense, conditioning becoming a concern

Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers is struggling defensively.

Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers has struggled defensively during intrasquad games at summer camp and his poor glove work at the hot corner is a concern with Opening Day looming only five days away.

Stats aren’t officially being tracked in these scrimmages but the live feeds the team has provided on social media have shown a sluggish third baseman who repeatedly makes mistakes.

His latest error on Saturday came on a routine ground ball that Devers scooped cleanly but he was late with his throw to force the runner out at second base. Instead of what should have been an easy 5-4-3 double play to escape the inning, the miscue loaded the bases.

That was at least the third error that Devers has committed in summer camp scrimmages and they have mostly been the result of being a step too slow. Either he wasn’t quick enough to make a tag or he didn’t execute fast enough to make a throw on time. These aren’t the mental lapses that young players occasionally stumble through, the errors that Devers has been making suggest the problem is with his physical conditioning.

Manager Ron Roenicke deflected the question when asked if Devers had put on weight during the hiatus between when spring training was shutdown by the cornavirus pandemic and the start of summer camp, according to MassLive’s Christopher Smith.

"“I’m not exactly sure. He may have gained a little bit. But not to the point where I’m worried about it,” said Roenicke."

Perhaps the manager should be worried. Devers is far from reaching Pablo Sandoval territory but gaining weight could slow him down in the field, leading to an uptick in fielding errors. Devers has been prone to making mistakes in the field, leading his position with 24 errors in 2018.

Devers improved only moderately last season when he committed 22 errors, although he also appeared in 36 more games in 2019 and saw a notable increase in field percentage from .926 to .949 percent. Many of his errors piled up early in the season and he showed tremendous improvement as the season went along.

He’s not winning a Gold Glove anytime soon but Devers managed to transform himself from defensive liability to a steady option at third base over the course of last season.

Devers also had a breakout year at the plate in 2019, hitting .311 with 32 home runs, 54 doubles, and 115 RBI. He tallied over 200 hits while leading the majors with 90 extra-base hits and 359 total bases.

It’s no coincidence that Devers was in much better shape during his career year. If his conditioning suffered during the long quarantine period when training camp was suspended, his performance will suffer along with it.

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A slow start in camp might not be as concerning ahead of a normal season. Players who need to work on their conditioning can work their way into shape once they are back in the routine of playing every day. Their sluggish start will be long forgotten at the end of a 162-game marathon but players won’t have that luxury in a 60-game sprint where each game matters more.

The biggest concern facing the Red Sox entering the season is obviously their starting pitching. Boston’s staff doesn’t even have enough viable options to fill out a full rotation. The pitching problem will only be magnified if the defense lets them down. Errors put pitchers in more high-leverage situations with runners on base and extend innings, forcing the pitchers to throw more.

Boston is already relying on a few pitchers with unappealing career ERAs. The last thing they need is unearned runs piling up on the scoreboard.

Devers made promising progress in the field last year. If his conditioning causes him to regress in that area, the Red Sox are going to find themselves falling too far behind for even their powerhouse lineup to remain competitive.