Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Why It Makes Sense To Be Extra Patient With Red Sox 3B Rafael Devers

(Getty Images)
Sometimes watching Rafael Devers play can be frustrating. He swings wildly at a lot of first pitches, and occasionally looks bored by the whole MLB thing—like he'd rather be playing video games. But, please, do not forget that Devers is still just a 21-year old kid—who won't turn 22 until October. Considering that, his performance in The Show so far is pretty darned good. The Red Sox just released the following fascinating stat: Devers is one of only three Red Sox players to reach 20 or more career home runs at age 21. The other two guys? Distinguished gentlemen named Ted Williams and Tony Conigliaro. That's pretty rarefied air. Recently, Devers has picked up the pace at the plate (he hit his 20th career HR last night and is hitting .296 over his last seven games) and is also playing much better defense. This is all part of the maturing process—done under the very bright lights of Red Sox Nation. In our view, the team should show extreme patience with Devers as he blossoms into a solid major-league player.