In 2016, Rafael Devers may have been the most overlooked #3 prospect in baseball. Ranked the third-best prospect in the Boston Red Sox farm system, Devers was overshadowed by the 63 million dollar man, Yoan Moncada.
A natural second baseman, Moncada was expected to shift to third base, where he would settle in as the starter for the Red Sox for the next several years. With Moncada considered the future of the Red Sox at the hot corner, Devers was nearly forgotten.
He did little to garner the attention of the Red Sox by struggling mightily in the beginning of his 2016 campaign. While Moncada was impressing, Devers hit .138 in April, and barely surpassed .200 in the first half of the season.
Asked about it, Devers was quoted saying: "That was a learning experience for me. I had never had a bad season." But Devers impressed Red Sox personnel in the second half of the season, tearing the cover off the ball en route to a .326 batting average over the final three months, raising his season average to .282. He added eleven home runs, using his impressive all-fields power, and 18 steals on the season.
Even with his spectacular production in the second half, Devers still seemed like the distant second choice to Moncada, who earned a late-season call-up to Boston. However, the prized Cuban prospect was just 4-19 in his brief showcase in Boston, striking out a whopping twelve times in twenty plate appearances.
Moncada, unlike fellow top prospect Andrew Benintendi, did not make the postseason roster. In the offseason, Moncada was the centerpiece of a blockbuster trade to acquire Chris Sale from the Chicago White Sox.
And suddenly, Devers was the main prospect to watch.
After being overlooked for most of 2016, Devers entered the 2017 campaign as Boston's main man, their top prospect. Technically, Benintendi was the top prospect according to Baseball America, but Benintendi is also playing every day for the Red Sox. And, with the spotlight on, Devers has exceeded expectations to start the season.
Devers has no problems adjusting to AA
Single-A to Double-A is usually considered the biggest jump a prospect makes, especially a hitter. Facing much more quality pitching than last year, Devers has been red-hot at the plate. The third baseman entered Saturday's doubleheader hitting .333 with 5 home runs and 12 RBI. He has scorched right-handers to the tune of a .356 average while holding his own against lefties (.263).
Devers turned several heads with his performance this past Tuesday, May 2nd, during the Portland Sea Dogs' series against the Hartford YardGoats in Hartford. Devers collected five hits and two home runs as part of a road-trip where he ripped four home runs and hit .333. It was also the fourth time in his career he has gone yard twice in a game in his young career.
Defensively, there have been some concerns about Devers, particularly his weight. Listed at six feet tall and 195 pounds (which might be shading a little on the lighter end), Devers does not boast the typical build of a third baseman, and some scouts question his mobility. Yet Devers continues to perform well defensively, holding his own at the hot corner; he even has made some flashy plays this year, showing impressive range.
Although the Red Sox have been content to slowly move Devers along, one level at a time, their terrible struggles at third base both offensively and defensively have definitely brought up the question about whether the Red Sox would consider speeding up Devers' progress.
At third base this year, the Red Sox started the season with Pablo Sandoval manning the hot corner. However, after struggling to hit over .200, the Panda landed on the disabled list with a right knee sprain. Rookie Marco Hernandez took over, and hit decently, just over .260 but injured his shoulder and hasn't played since. Combined, Sandoval and Hernandez made nine errors over 25 games between the two of them. Brock Holt and Josh Rutledge each have made an error in limited appearances at the position.
With all the defensive struggles and less than stellar offensive production, there has to be some thought about how soon it will be until Devers is ready. He continued to boost his stock on Saturday, slamming a monster grand slam in the third inning for the Sea Dogs. Devers took an 84 mph changeup and sent the offering rocketing 426 feet into dead center field, 103 mph off the bat. It was his sixth home run of the year, raising his RBI total to 16.
More than likely, Devers will stay in Portland for the majority of 2017. However, the once-overshadowed prospect is taking advantage of his shift into the spotlight.