Red Sox 3B Rafael Devers
Rafael Devers has had dominant seasons before, but this looks like the first campaign where he will be a legitimate MVP contender. He leads the majors in both hits and total bases, slashing an incredible .339/.369/.600 in the process. He’s also worked hard to improve his defense, upgrading his glove work from “future DH” to “I guess he could stick at the position.”
In basically any other year, Devers would be a shoo-in for the starting third base spot in the All-Star. Yet Devers is not the only AL third baseman having potentially historic seasons. The Guardians’ Jose Ramirez is slashing an incredible .291/.393/.632 with 14 home runs and a league-leading 53 RBIs. He has drawn 19 more walks and struck out 29 fewer times than Devers, and has a 0.2 lead in WAR.
At this point, it’s anyone’s guess who is going to start the All-Star game at third base. Both players are fantastic, and who gets to start is really going to come down to who has the better month and a half leading up to the All-Star game. Either way, Red Sox fans should expect to see their franchise cornerstone in Los Angeles this summer.