Boston Red Sox: 3 players you must vote for on All-Star ballot

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BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 19: Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox reacts before a game against the New York Yankees on September 19, 2020 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. The 2020 season had been postponed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /

Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers

Rafael Devers is poised for his first All-Star appearance and has a strong case for being named a starter. While his defense remains questionable, fans are watching this exhibition game to see some offense and Raffy can hit with the best of them.

His .279 batting average is a bit underwhelming, the result of a recent mysterious slump where he struggled against the fastball, but his .350 OBP remains strong and his .942 OPS would be a career-high.

Devers leads the American League with 18 doubles and 46 RBI while ranking third with 15 home runs. He’s fifth in the AL with a .392 wOBA and 2.1 WAR, per FanGraphs. He leads AL third basemen in the former category and trails only Chicago’s Yoan Moncada in the latter.

Third base offers some stiff competition with Moncada (2.6 fWAR), Jose Ramirez (1.9 fWAR) and Alex Bregman (1.7 fWAR) all having great seasons. Devers has been the best of them offensively, which typically is what draws the attention of the fans, and undoubtedly deserves a spot even if he doesn’t get voted in as a starter.

A slow start to the 2019 season cost Devers an All-Star selection and his absence seems criminal in retrospect considering where his production ended up that season. It’s time to rectify that mistake by sending Raffy Big Scoops to his first All-Star game.

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