Around this time last year, we were talking about Ceddanne Rafaela pulling a Houdini act and disappearing in the midst of his best season with the Boston Red Sox.
The Curacao native batted 271 with 14 home runs and 48 RBIs across 92 games before the All-Star break. He became an important part of Boston's success, with fans even campaigning for him to be an All-Star for the first time in his career.
Rafaela hit a wall almost immediately after, though, and he never recovered for the rest of the season. In his next 64 games, he had a .218 batting average with just two home runs and 15 RBIs. he also went 0-for-10 with two walks during the Red Sox' three-game AL Wild Card loss to the New York Yankees.
It looked like Rafaela's story was going to repeat itself this year (.281 BA, eight home runs, and 39 RBIs in first 90 games - was named an All-Star), but that doesn't seem to be the case anymore.
Ceddanne Rafaela has kept up his All-Star-level play with the Red Sox
There is still roughly a month left of regular-season baseball, but as things stand, Rafaela is playing just as well as he did before the All-Star break... and maybe even a little better.
In his last 35 games, the 25-year-old batted .309 with eight home runs and 27 RBIs. Pair that with his elite defense (he's in a great spot to earn his second consecutive Gold Glove award), and it's becoming increasingly clear just how important he is to Boston's success now and for the long haul.
Rafaela always had the talent to be an incredible MLB player, and he has become one gradually. He took a big leap last year, but he needed to remain consistent with it. And so far, it looks like he is doing exactly that.
There's a lot to like about the Red Sox' short- and long-term outlook (intriguing pitching staff, Franklin Arias in the minors, an improved offense), but their outfield might be at the top of that list.
Wilyer Abreu may be turning some heads this season, Roman Anthony (when healthy, and in theory) is the Red Sox' best hitter and is only 22 years old), and Rafaela has only gotten better with each year he's been in the majors (and he's turning just 26 years old in September -- the sky is the limit for him).
If this season is any indication, then Rafaela is going to be one of the Red Sox' most important players for years to come, and fans should be excited to see where he goes from here.
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