Rafael Devers becoming Boston’s Mr. October
BOSTON – Rafael Devers was scared and in awe when he walked into Fenway Park’s home clubhouse for the first time as a big leaguer last year. He was only 20 years old. The Red Sox’s rich history weighed on the young third baseman.
The native of the Dominican Republic is so young, he hardly remembers watching countrymen David Ortiz and Pedro Martinez help end the infamous “Curse of the Bambino” in the 2004 World Series; the World Series began a day before his eighth birthday that year so it’s understandable that his memories are limited.
Yet Devers paid close attention as the Red Sox won the World Series in 2007 and then again in 2013. That recent winning culture is the weight that the youngest player feels as he heads into the 2018 Fall Classic.
“The first time I came up I felt scared because I had never been in a big league clubhouse,” Devers told La Vida Baseball. “I said, ‘Wow, look at so many superstars. I didn’t think I’d be here so soon.”
“This is one of the teams that has the most fans, and this team is very important for this city. A championship hasn’t been won [by the Red Sox] since 2013, and we will try to bring it this year.”
Young history maker
Devers, who celebrated his 22nd birthday on Wednesday, proved that he belonged among his Red Sox teammates last season as a rookie, and then he displayed an affinity for baseball’s biggest stages.
Over the last two postseasons, the stout six-foot, 235-pounder from Sanchez, Dominican Republic has put together a resume rivaled by very few in baseball history.
In Game 1 of the World Series at Fenway Park on Tuesday night, he gave the Red Sox a 5-3 lead in the fifth with a single through the right side to become the first player in history to drive in a run in each of his first eight postseason starts.
With that RBI he became only the second player in history to collect at least 13 postseason RBI before his 22nd birthday. Only former Braves center fielder Andruw Jones had more postseason RBI before his 22nd birthday with 14 RBI.
Devers, legendary Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig, Álex Rodríguez and Ryan Howard are the only players in history to have driven in a run in eight consecutive postseason starts.
Then he ushered in his birthday by granting interviews after the Red Sox won Game 1 of the World Series. He was happy, but not in a celebratory mood.
“I have to go home and sleep to prepare for tomorrow’s game,” he said early Wednesday morning. “I have to be ready. We’ll have to celebrate another day because the focus is on tomorrow’s game.”
Be Ready
Devers has been preparing for this stage since his father registered him for his first youth league in the Samana province, where he eventually began working with a pair of trainers when he was 13 to prepare for signing a pro contract at 16.
Devers nurtured his love of baseball as a young child by watching his father, Rafael Sr., play catcher in the liga campesina, or amateur league.
“He always took me there,” Devers said of his father. “It’s what I liked. I always went with him to the baseball fields.”
Devers was considered a premier prospect by the time he was 14. On Aug. 9, 2013, the Red Sox gave him a $1.5 million signing bonus – a few months before Ortiz helped Boston win its last World Series title. Devers was 16.
He tore through the minor leagues and made his major league debut on July 25, 2017, two weeks shy of the four-year anniversary of his signing with the Red Sox.
He hit 10 home runs and had 30 RBIs in 58 games as a rookie, posting a .284 batting average, 338 on-base percentage and .482 slugging percentage. Devers then excelled in his first postseason, hitting .364 with a .429 on-base percentage, .909 slugging percentage, two home runs and five RBI in the 2017 Division Series against the Astros.
Big stage, big performer
Devers had a mercurial showing in his sophomore season, posting a .240 average and .298 on-base percentage and .433 slugging percentage with 21 home runs and 66 RBIs. After posting 1.3 Wins Above Replacement as a rookie, Devers had a 0.0 WAR in 121 regular season games in 2018.
Now, he has excelled in the postseason. He appeared in two games in the Division Series against the Yankees, but he really took off in the American League Championship Series against the Astros. Devers hit one home run and drove in six runs over four ALCS games, delivering the decisive three-run home run that proved to be the difference in Game 5 as the Red Sox earned their World Series berth.
“First off, it’s hard enough as it is to play baseball in Boston,” Red Sox pitcher David Price said. “To do that as a 20-year-old, 21-year-old, at third base, he hasn’t changed.
“He doesn’t let anything affect him, whether it’s trade rumors or people being unhappy with what he’s doing. He hasn’t changed, and that’s really tough to do at 21, 20 years old. He’s a special person.”
Tough Crowd
Boston has traditionally been one of the most difficult towns for professional athletes. The media and the rabid fan base can be relentless, whether you’re a legend or a rookie.
Nobody has been spared in Boston, whether a legendary Hall of Famer such as the late Ted Williams, Manny Ramirez, Martinez, Ortiz or other lesser known role players. Devers has thrived through the difficulties in part because of a simple piece of advice from his father.
“He always tells me to not do things wrong, to be correct and not get on a bad path,” Devers says of his father. “He always told me, ‘I’ve never done anything wrong, and you don’t need to do that. Nothing bad will happen if you don’t do anything wrong.’”
That mindset has helped Devers accomplish things that have never been accomplished for a franchise that is making its 13th World Series appearance.
In a franchise that has had legendary hitters Carl Yastrzemski and Williams, iconic slugger Ortiz and postseason hero Ramirez, Devers is the only Red Sox with RBI in eight consecutive postseason starts.
Last season in the Division Series against the Astros, Devers became the youngest player in Red Sox history to hit a postseason home run. He was 20 years old.
He and Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle, Jones, Miguel Cabrera and Bryce Harper are the only players to hit least three postseason home runs before turning 22.
Devers is in impressive company, but he’s not surprised to join such luminaries. He expects to be great and is driven to success.
“That’s what this is about,” he said. “I want to be a superstar. I want to be somebody in the big leagues. I want to be a superstar, and I have to keep working to accomplish my dream.
“I’ve always liked Boston since I was a kid. That’s why I preferred to sign here. I like this team a lot. I liked Manny and David when I’d see those folks. In that era I never imagined this day, but if you work hard things will go well.”
Young Devers is ready for this stage.
Featured Image: Bob Levey / Getty Images Sport