Loser 1: Rafael Devers
The start of this season has been a disaster for Rafael Devers. He lost his starting third baseman job to Alex Bregman after initially being reluctant to give it to him, and made history by starting the season 0-19 with 15 strikeouts.
While he would go on a five-game hitting streak and bring his batting average to .278, he would then fall back into a slump again. Devers has been plagued with inconsistency to start the season, as his slash line through 30 games is .216/.350/.396.
Although Devers hasn’t been hitting well, he does lead the American League with 23 walks. If the Red Sox are going to make the playoffs, Devers must start producing at the plate. Lucky for him, it’s still early in the season and he has time to get his swing back.
Loser 2: Triston Casas
Coming back from an injury-riddled season, I was expecting Triston Casas to start the season strong. Instead, Casas has had a horrible start with his slash line: .172/.273/.310 and -0.7 wins above replacement through 25 games.
His bat came alive this past week against the Seattle Mariners, where he hit two home runs in back-to-back games, bringing his total to three on the season. At no point in the season has Casas had a batting average over .200.
While this past week was promising to see his power was still there, Casas has been almost unplayable at the plate. The Red Sox may have to give him a game or two off to get his swing back because the Red Sox will need it as the season goes on.
It’s a long season, and I’m sure both he and Devers will start getting their groove back soon, but it’s been disappointing to see how unsuccessful they’ve been at the plate.