Black MLB Players #8: 3B Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox

Background + Path to Professional Baseball

Rafael Devers is a twenty-four-year-old third baseman that plays for the Boston Red Sox. He is from Sánchez, a central region of the Dominican Republic. Devers was a top international amateur free agent and was seen as the best left-handed hitter amongst his peers in the 2013 J2 class.

A Boston Red Sox scout by the name of Manny Nanita began observing Devers at the age of 14, taking notice of Devers’ natural talent and his ability to compete against opponents that were three to four years older than him. Nanita reported back to George Romero, the head of the international scouting department of the Red Sox, and insisted that he see Devers with his own eyes.

After Romero flew to the Dominican Republic and saw Devers in person, he drew major interest from the international scouting sector under the Red Sox’s front office regime at that time. By the time Romero saw Devers in person, he was deemed a must-sign by the Red Sox organization.

The Red Sox developed a great professional relationship with Rafael Devers and his father through the scout that found him, Manny Nanita. Rafael Devers decided to sign with the Boston Red Sox for $1.5 million dollars, citing the loyalty Nanita and the Red Sox organization gave to him as the reason why he chose to sign with Boston. Devers was pursued heavily by the Arizona Diamondbacks and Toronto Blue Jays organizations, which is a testament to the raw talent he possessed, along with his work ethic, intelligence, and maturity, three traits that scouts raved about.

Rafael Devers’ professional career started in 2014, at the age of 17. He was put on a fast track by the Red Sox organization due to his above-average statistical performance against older competition, maturity, and work ethic. Rafael Devers was a vaunted prospect throughout his minor league career, combining pedigree because he was a big amateur signing with above-average offensive performance against his peers in the minor leagues.

The Red Sox organization also had a bit of a youth movement going on at this time, as Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, and Jackie Bradley Jr. recently established themselves at the MLB level. Andrew Benintendi made his MLB debut the prior year, and the Red Sox planned on contending for World Series in the latter half of the 2010s by supplementing their young core with a group of veterans.

The terrible extension the Red Sox gave to Pablo Sandoval, and the trade that sent Travis Shaw to the Milwaukee Brewers created an opening for the Red Sox to see what they had in Rafael Devers, and he did not disappoint. After 406 games in the minor leagues where he posted above average numbers, putting up a .297/.354/.484 slash line, he made his MLB debut on July 25th, 2017.

Rafael Devers became the youngest player to hit a home run for the Boston Red Sox since Tony Conigliario at the age of nineteen during the 1964 season. Despite Rafael Devers’ injury history and inconsistent performance at the MLB level, he has established himself as the long-term third baseman in Boston. He was one of the final pieces that helped the Red Sox improve from simply making the playoffs to actually win a World Series in 2018.

2019 was Devers’ breakout season, hitting 32 home runs and driving in 115 runs on a .311/.365/.555 stat line. He followed it up with a slight drop in performance during the shortened 2020 season. He posted a 108 wRC+ in 57 games played, well below the 132 wRC+ he posted the year prior but still slightly above average.

He returned to form for the 2021 and 2022 seasons, garnering All-Star Game appearances in both years. During that two-year span, he ranked in the top 25 for OPS, wRC+, fWAR, batting average, home runs, and doubles.

Contract

Devers recently agreed to an 11-year contract extension with the Boston Red Sox worth $330 million dollars.

Player Profile

Rafael Devers bats left-handed, and throws right-handed. His primary position is third base, he is six feet tall, and weighs around 240 pounds.

Hitting

Devers has plus bat speed due to his strong wrists and upper body, as he frequently is at the top of MLB leaderboards in average exit velocity. His all-fields approach is an indication of a great understanding of the strike zone and a knack for hitting the ball where it is pitched. He has the ability to hit for contact and has even cut down on his strikeout percentage for multiple years. He makes adjustments during plate appearances and has a sound approach. His walk rate is around average.

Devers is slightly susceptible to left-handed pitchers, although he is not downright awful or unplayable. He has excelled against fastballs, breaking balls, and offspeed pitches. This highlights his ability to recognize how pitchers are attacking him and his pure hitting ability. Devers is a top/middle-of-the-order bat, easily able to hold down the second, third, fourth, or fifth spot in any lineup.

Fielding

Devers is renowned for his work ethic and has worked hard to become a competent defensive third baseman throughout his professional career. He has diligently worked on managing his weight and has done everything in his power to keep his range and hands on point to avoid being a liability at the hot corner.

His arm is the strength of his defensive profile, as he has more than enough juice to make strong throws across the diamond. . Devers will probably transition to being a full-time first baseman with some time spent as a DH or 3B later in his career.

Baserunning

Despite being a very large man, Devers will put up positive values as a baserunner. While he will not steal many bases due to his large frame and slow Sprint Speed, Devers can move from first to third or home, or second to home very well. He has great instincts, and will not make many mistakes as a baserunner. He is a very aggressive and confident player, so he will take risks from time to time. He fits right in at the top of any lineup due to his ability to drive in runs with his contact skills and power and will score his fair share of runs due to his baserunning acumen.

Conclusion

Rafael Devers is an extremely talented baseball player, as his combination of intelligence, raw power, and contact skills is not common. One of the budding young stars in the game, many individuals and projection systems think that Devers will have a productive career, and I am among those individuals. I trust Devers’ work ethic and history of development/performance, and he has already given a glimpse of what he can do with a bat in his hands.