The Boston Red Sox have split their first two games of the season. But while they may have salvaged a .500 record, Rafael Devers’ performance in the first two games has been anything but balanced.
Devers struck out four times in Friday’s 4-1 loss to the Texas Rangers. Through two games, Devers has struck out seven times in eight at-bats and looks like the player who hit just .214/.267/.286 in five Grapefruit League games during Spring Training.
There are a lot of theories on why Devers has stumbled out of the gate, but he addressed his struggles and showed some optimism to turn it around when speaking to reporters on Friday night.
Rafael Devers Isn’t Concerned About Opening Series Struggles for Red Sox
Devers discussed his performance after Friday’s game and dismissed the notion that he’s in an early-season slump. While the strikeouts have piled up, he cited a limited sample size and noted that his approach will help him turn away the struggles he’s had in the first two games.
“It’s only been two games,” Devers said via MassLive’s Sean McAdam. “I feel comfortable at the plate. I feel good. I haven’t hit the ball, but I feel very good. It’s only been two games. I think everything will change. …Since I got called up [to the major leagues] I’m the same hitter I was back then. I know who I am. I know I haven’t done my job and I haven’t done what I’m supposed to do, but I know everything will change.”
While Friday’s Golden Sombrero sounds the alarm, it feels like Devers can push through it. But the next question is why has Devers struck out so much to open the year?
The 28-year-old battled a shoulder injury last season but did not need surgery last winter. The Red Sox pushed to find a defensive upgrade at third base and landed Alex Bregman just before Spring Training. Devers refused to give up his defensive position initially but agreed to be the team’s designated hitter, which usually requires an acclimation process as players focus initially on what happened at the plate.
Some would argue that Devers’ limited Spring Training action has also played a role in his poor start but Red Sox manager Alex Cora had his own idea after Saturday’s game.
“Not catching up to fastballs. Very simple,” Cora said. “The at-bats are OK, but he hasn’t been able to cash in. …He’s going to keep working. That’s what he’s been doing the whole time. He’ll be alright.”
Cora’s theory is backed up by Baseball Savant. Devers has seen 32 fastballs in his eight at-bats and has a 60% whiff rate on the heater. Devers has also swung on pitches in the zone 68 percent of the time but has a 41.2% zone contact rate. By comparison, Devers whiffed just 39.9% of the time on fastballs last season and posted a 71.9% zone contact rate in his career.
It’s a frustrating start but not one that should last. Devers is one of the Red Sox’ key bats, hitting .279/.345/.511 over his eight seasons in the major leagues. He’s made the All-Star team three of the past four seasons and hit .272/.354/.516 with 28 home runs and 83 RBI in 138 games last season. Most importantly, he’s not known as a black hole when it comes to strikeouts with a 21.3% punchout rate compared to the MLB average of 24%.
While the offseason drama has amplified his struggles, Devers should be able to snap out of it and it might just take a couple of hits to turn things around.