Red Sox defensive prospect of the year – Ceddanne Rafaela
I honestly don’t think there’s ever been an easier award to hand out. That’s wild considering how good the honorable mentions are here. Ceddanne Rafaela wins the position at centerfield, but he also wins it at shortstop. And honestly, if he was playing second base and third base like he did last year, I feel like it’s safe to assume he’d be in the running at those positions as well.
It’s such a crazy combination with Rafaela. He shows incredible instincts, especially for someone his age. He always seems to make the right read and jump off the bat. Great speed gives him top-tier range. This leads to him making an extraordinary amount of difficult plays look routine.
The number of times I’ve watched a game, and the announcer thinks it’s a hit off the bat just for Rafaela to make a normal running catch is pretty wild. That’s nothing to the number of times the announcer thinks it’s a hit up until the very last second when Rafaela goes Randy Orton on everyone and slithers in from out of nowhere to make a diving play.
Rafaela’s more than just highlight reel plays though. Elite arm with great accuracy that plays perfectly in the outfield and at shortstop. He looks incredibly smooth and comfortable at both positions. That being said, he had more than his fair share of eye-popping plays no matter where he was on the field.
It’s looking more and more like centerfield is the position for Rafaela. Some of his value comes from his ridiculous ability to play Gold Glove defense at multiple spots of the diamond though. So I think the Red Sox will utilize that to an extent. Either way, he’s bringing home hardware in the future.
Honorable Mention:
(SS) Brainer Bonaci: Best defensive shortstop prospect I’ve seen in a while. Great arm and range, and makes lunatic plays. 17 errors between second base, third base, shortstop, and (one inning) right field.
(UM) Christian Koss: Underrated defender. Looks good at shortstop, third base, and second base (even threw in some outfield time). He has a good arm, great range, and is very versatile.
(SS) Marcelo Mayer: Very steady defender. Good range, quick feet and soft hands, and a strong arm. 12 errors in 694 1/3 innings at shortstop this season.
(C) Kole Cottam: Best pitch-framer in the Red Sox system. Has turned himself into a fantastic defensive catcher. Good arm, good plate blocking, and sneaky athleticism.
(OF) Phillip Sikes: Was a highlight factory in the outfield. A combination of arm, instincts, range, and glove made him extremely fun to watch all year long.
(C) Elih Marrero: His athleticism at the catcher position is top-tier. This led to Marrero making a lot of impressive plays from behind the plate.
(2B) Nick Yorke: One error in 593 1/3 innings at second base this year. Makes all the routine plays. Has good range and a very solid arm for the position. Massively underrated part of his game.