Ceddanne Rafaela is an outstanding defensive player, one of the, if not the best, all-around fielders in baseball. He can play anywhere at any time, and that's his biggest strength as a player. He has great speed, has stolen 19 bases this season, which is the third-best on the Boston Red Sox in that category. His arm is 15th among all outfielders based on their arm strength. But his hitting? Below average.
Last year, in his first full season, he posted a .246 batting average with 15 home runs and 75 RBIs. He had an OPS of .664 and a slugging percentage of .390. The OPS was the 13th worst out of all 129 full-time hitters, and his .390 SLG was the 25th worst in that category as well. He's been a smidge better this season, but that was only because of his surge from late June until the All-Star Break.
Ceddanne Rafaela Needs Big September for the Boston Red Sox
Rafaela was batting .390, with 5 home runs, 6 doubles, 16 hits, and an OPS of 1.307. He was, by far, the hottest hitter in baseball and was seemingly turning a corner. That brought up his OPS and his SLG, and it's now at .708 and .417. It brought him from the cellar of the league to below league average.
His hitting is amazing when he's playing center field. Just look at his July stats again for reference. He's slumped since his move to second, conveniently two games before the break on July 12th. He was batting just .191, a .511 OPS, a .275 slugging percentage, and only one home run, one triple, six doubles, and only seven RBIs in 36 games (131 at-bats).
But he's found his groove again. Entering September, and in his last eight games, he's been batting .300, with an .826 OPS, a .481 slugging percentage, recording seven RBIs along with two home runs, two doubles, and nine hits in 30 at-bats. Given that he's had the same amount of RBIs as he had in the first 36 games after the All-Star Break? With already a proven platinum glove wherever he plays?
He could be a gem unlocked within the 2026 season, making his eight-year extension back in April of 2024 very much worth it.