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Boston Red Sox: 3 reasons Rafael Devers is MLB’s rising star

By Tarringo Basile-vaughan

TORONTO, ON - JULY 04: Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox runs the bases after hitting a solo home run in the first inning during a MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on July 04, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - JULY 04: Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox runs the bases after hitting a solo home run in the first inning during a MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on July 04, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /
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Boston Red Sox Rafael Devers (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
Boston Red Sox Rafael Devers (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images) /

Boston Red Sox slugger Rafael Devers didn’t get an All-Star nod, but the young third baseman is a star on the rise.

While the Boston Red Sox continue to experience an up and down season prior to the All-Star break, one of the few bright spots has been the rise of young third baseman Rafael Devers.

After a slow start in 2019, the 22-year-old former top Red Sox prospect has been on a tear.  He has turned around early struggles at the plate into offensive numbers that should’ve powered him into his first All-Star nod.

With a .322 batting average, 17 homers and 66 RBI, the snub of Devers is highly noted especially since he ranks high amongst American League hitters (All-Star break rankings) when it comes to the major offensive categories including batting average (2nd), OBP (10th), slugging (3rd), and OPS (4th).  Amongst third basemen in the league, those rankings are even higher.  In those major categories, Rafael Devers is ranked either first or second in the AL.

While it’s obvious the Red Sox rising star has been overlooked in 2019, his growth and continued development should be both applauded and celebrated.  It is also scary that he is just 22 and showcasing how much of a complete player he can be.

In the opinion of teammate J.D. Martinez, the young Devers is already one of the best players in all of baseball.

"“He’s one of the best players in the league right now and he’s 22,” Martinez told the Boston Globe, via NESN.  “He doesn’t have to worry about one All-Star Game.”"

If he keeps playing like this, there will be many All-Star appearances for Rafael Devers, which brings us to three reasons why the Boston Red Sox third baseman is the real deal.

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