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Boston Red Sox player outlook 2019: Rafael Devers poised for breakout season

By William Hyland

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 27: Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox hits an rbi single to center field for the 5-4 lead in the ninth inning of Game Four of the 2018 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 27: Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox hits an rbi single to center field for the 5-4 lead in the ninth inning of Game Four of the 2018 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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2018 was a good season for Boston Red Sox 3rd baseman Rafael Devers but the best is yet to come.

In a 2018 Boston Red Sox lineup that included RBI leader J.D. Martinez and AL MVP Mookie Betts, third baseman Rafael Devers was almost an afterthought. The 22-year-old Dominican slugger burst onto the scene in 2017 and hit .284 with ten homers in only 58 games.

Devers was a player who the Red Sox put huge stock into over the past few seasons. Remember, he was favored as a potential Pablo Sandoval replacement given the trade of Yoan Moncada and the Red Sox neglect of Mike Moustakas in free agency.

Similarly, he was called up in mid-July of last season with almost no experience beyond Double-A. Never the less, he hit postseason home runs and established himself as a starter for 2018.

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However, with his initial success came even greater expectations for 2018 and Devers didn’t disappoint.

This past season he struggled with chasing pitches, but that is something which will likely improve with experience. So far in his young career, Devers has had to navigate those issues at the plate, given that his strikeout to at-bat and strikeout to hit ratios are nearly 1:1. But as stated, I expect his plate discipline to improve over time.

Part of the reason why I expect this to improve is because of his teammates. Constantly being around Martinez, Betts, and Xander Bogaerts will certainly help his confidence and baseball IQ. Devers will also be able to continue growing alongside Andrew Benintendi.

The balance of the lineup will give Devers the opportunity to see better pitches, depending on where he hits. If he is able to stay in shape physically, I also think he will be able to get stronger and keep improving his defense.

Next. Craig Kimbrel simply not worth the money. dark

Ultimately, I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Rafael Devers yet. If he keeps getting the opportunities and coaching, I believe he could turn into a consistent 30 HR/100 RBI hitter. 2019 could be the start of such good fortunes.

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