Rafael Devers’s October is the stuff of Red Sox legend
Ladies and gentlemen, our baby boy Rafael Devers is a grown man. The Red Sox absolutely destroyed the Houston Astros in Game 3 of the ALCS last night with the pitching and the bats both doing their part in the win. While I could talk for days about what everyone did last night, I’m here for one thing and one thing only, and that’s to praise the historic efforts of Raffy Big Scoops.
It’s hard to put a stamp on someone’s postseason while it’s still ongoing but we also can’t ignore what this dude is doing at the plate. Not only is he writing his own chapters in the Red Sox history books but Carita is taking over the entire damn MLB at this point. With Game 4 of the ALCS just a few short hours away, it’s hard to think that he won’t create some more October magic considering the pace he’s already on.
So, what exactly do I mean when I say what’s he’s doing is the stuff of Red Sox legend? Well, because it is. The names that he’s joining in the long history of the postseason are the pillars of this organization. Red Sox Notes, a phenomenal follow on Twitter, shared a few of the things that Raffy has done this October and it’s understandable if your jaw hits the floor.
Rafael Devers has set the MLB record for most Postseason RBI before turning 25 years old (25).
— J.P. Long (@SoxNotes) October 19, 2021
The first thing that made me take a bit of a step back when I saw what was just how effective Devers is when there are ducks on the pond. Remember, this is a guy who made his debut at the tail end of 2017 and began to make his name in 2018. In that short time span, our lovable third baseman is set a record for the most RBI by a player in the postseason under the age of 25. With his 25th birthday just six days away, he has a chance to raise the bar even further.
That’s wild to me. Of all the players that have come and gone in this beautiful game of ours, the legends, the young stars of tomorrow, it’s Raffy that sits atop the throne. His solo shot last night was the hit that put him over the marker, and I’m sure with Zack Greinke on the mound tonight, he’ll be looking to add more to his ledger.
What else has Rafael done in his short playoff career in Boston? Well, for starters he’s put his name up in the pantheon of Red Sox legends that came before him, along with one of his teammates. As for Red Sox players in their first 20 postseason games, he joins J.D. Martinez (24), David Ortiz (21), and Nomar Garciaparra (20) with his 20th run batted in last night.
Last I checked, those guys are all pretty good at this baseball thing and have some serious chapters in this organization’s legacy. But the young man just isn’t done doing damage and I don’t blame him. Remember how he set the record for most RBI before turning 25, well, he also finds himself tied for second for most postseason homers before hitting that age as well.
His home run in the eighth inning last night put him in second place with seven October dingers alongside Andruw Jones and B.J. Upton. The three men on the top of the leaderboard are Mickey Mantle, Albert Pujols, and Carlos Correa, all with eight. I think it’s safe to say that within the next few days we may have a new king of the mountain and it’s going to be Raffy Big Stick.
It’s not just his historic efforts that have me more than amped to see what he’s going to do next, it’s the fact that he’s doing a lot of this in 2021 with an injured arm. It’s been said that the arm hurts him the most when he swings and misses but when he makes contact it isn’t as painful. This has made him even more dangerous at the plate as he’s become far more selective and isn’t as aggressive as we know him to be.
In the ALDS against the Rays, he hit an impressive .333/.400/.667 with two bombs, six RBI, and a pair of walks. His efforts in the ALCS haven’t quite hit that mark yet but his .308/.400/.769 is just as sweet as he also has two homers and five RBI to boot. As I said, he’s being far more patient at the plate as his five whiffs in the ALDS has been reduced to just a single strikeout against the Astros.
Rafael Devers has a lot of career left ahead of him and if Red Sox CBO Chaim Bloom were smart he’d start working on a new contract for the youngster as soon as humanly possible. Devers will enter his first year of arbitration this winter and if he continues to put up numbers as he has so far he’ll soon be commanding one hefty salary. It’d be smart for Bloom to get ahead of the storm and pay the corner infielder now before he can’t afford him.
This postseason run has been a blast to see from Raffy as he’s quickly become one of the most fun players to watch in the entire league. While his career is still in its infancy, he’s found himself in the record books not only alongside team legends but those of the game of baseball entirely. As the Red Sox look to put out the flame that is the Houston Astros’ World Series hopes this week, I look for Raffy Big Scoops to continue making October magic.