* Text Features
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Boston Red Sox Saturday, March 16, 2019 * The Boston Globe Why Rafael Devers may be primed for a big season Peter Abraham TAMPA, Fla. — Rafael Devers happily made the short flight from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico in December when Red Sox manager Alex Cora invited him to work with kids at a baseball clinic. Cora knew the 22-year-old Devers would be a hit with the young players. But he also wanted to sit down with Devers and impress on him just how important he was to the Sox. The trip also included a Marc Anthony concert and some time getting to know Cora’s family. “He spent 48 hours in Puerto Rico and he learned a lot from the island,” Cora said. Devers carried those lessons into spring training, his performance standing out in what has otherwise been an uninspiring camp for the Sox. The third baseman has hit .438 through 12 games with four extra-base hits and a 1.094 OPS. Devers was 1 for 3 on Friday during a 14-1 loss against the Yankees. But there also were two misplays in the field that served as a reminder he remains very much a developing player. “I’m trying to look the best I can out there,” Devers said. Devers made a significant impact over 58 games as a rookie in 2017, posting an .819 OPS and playing what amounted to average defense. The Sox saw him blossoming into an All-Star caliber player. But last season was a disappointment from the start when Devers reported to spring training heavier than the team wanted. He then hit .240 with a .731 OPS and struck out 121 times in 450 at-bats. His defense dropped off, too. Based on negative-13 defensive runs saved, Devers was one of the worst third basemen in the game. He also committed 24 errors. The Sox felt that because Devers had to work extra in spring training to lose weight, he was worn down once the season started. Devers played better in the postseason but started only eight of the 14 games and sat out three entirely. With third base prospects Michael Chavis and Bobby Dalbec working their way into Triple A and Double A respectively, Devers also faced competition. That was why he was summoned to Puerto Rico. “We challenged him,” Cora said. “He made a commitment. He got a strength and conditioning coach in the Dominican, a nutritionist in the Dominican. He did the same thing [for spring training]. “He understands. He sees the guys around him, how they go about their business — J.D. [Martinez], Mookie [Betts], Jackie [Bradley Jr.] — and you learn from them. He’s only 22. Sometimes we take him for granted but he’s only a kid and he’s still learning.” Just how much Devers has improved athletically was apparent in the second inning on Friday when Miguel Andujar grounded a ball slowly down the line with two outs. Devers fielded a tricky hop while charging in, used the base to push off and made a strong throw to get the out. But with the bases loaded in the second inning, Devers showed some inexperience. When D.J. LeMahieu hit a slow ground ball his way, Devers looked to the plate then dropped the ball when he turned to first. The throw was late and Devers was charged with an error. The Yankees went on to score four more runs. “In that situation just get one out,” Cora said. “We don’t have to get the out at the plate, just get one out and move on. That put us in a bad spot.” Devers failed to square up on a ball later in the game that was ruled a hit. “I worked a lot on my defense in the offseason,” he said. “I made it a point to work a little extra on it.” There’s no question the effort is there. When the Red Sox were off on Monday, Devers was at the clubhouse at 8 a.m. to work out in the weight room with Xander Bogaerts then run some sprints. “It was actually Xander trying to catch up with Devers,” Cora said. “He’s in a really great place. I’m very proud of Raffy.” Cora has tinkered with a lineup that would have Devers hitting third, meaning behind Betts and ahead of Martinez. It’s hard to imagine a more advantageous spot for any hitter. “It’s a big job but it’s one that I’m ready for if given the opportunity,” Devers said via translator Daveson Perez. “I’m ready for whatever position they want me in. “Mookie and [leadoff hitter Andrew Benintendi] will get on base a lot and having the production of J.D. behind me will mean a lot of chances.” Said Cora: “I think it’s too early for me to decide how we’re going to go there. But so far so good. I love that the fact that’s staying in the middle of the field. He’s not trying to hit homers. He’s getting a few two- strike hits. He likes the spot.” Devers is often compared with Andujar, a 24-year-old Dominican who also debuted in 2017 and last season had an .855 OPS while struggling at third base. “I don’t want him to be Andujar; I want him to be Raffy Devers,” Cora said. “I think he has the potential — and everybody knows it — to have a monster year offensively.” Red Sox seem a bit arrogant with this bullpen issue, and other thoughts Dan Shaughnessy FORT MYERS, Fla. — Picked-up pieces from another 10 days hunkered down in the Fort: ■ The Red Sox are a wagon. They have 22 of 25 players back from a 119-win season. They have the best starting staff in baseball. They will score a ton of runs. Most of the competition in the American League stinks. The Sox are going to make the playoffs, even if everything goes wrong. They are vulnerable in only one area, and we all know what that is . the bullpen. The bullpen wasn’t great last season, but Craig Kimbrel was out there, and so was hot-and-cold Joe Kelly. Now both are gone and the Sox have not addressed this area. It feels a little arrogant. It feels as if the Sox worked it out last year and feel they are smart enough to work it out again in absence of all evidence. Please don’t tell me that they fixed things in the playoffs and therefore they can fix things now. The reason they fixed things in the postseason was because they used starters Chris Sale, Rick Porcello, David Price, and Nathan Eovaldi NINE times out of the bullpen in October. That is not a sustainable system for the 162- game season. So what do you say, Dave Dombrowski? “I think we’ll be ready,’’ answered the Sox baseball boss. “A few of the guys we haven’t seen. Matt Barnes. Ryan Brasier. Heath Hembree. We haven’t seen much of them. We just need to get them out there and have them ready, which we still have a couple of weeks to do. “Any time you have unknowns . I still think we have ability out there. We have some guys who have been successful at the major league level. I understand there’s no proven closer and until somebody gets out there and does that, there’s always an uncertainty, but we think we have enough ability there to get the job done. “We know why this gets so much attention. It’s hard to say anything about our starting rotation. It’s one of the best in baseball. Our positional players — we led the league in runs scored — and our defense was good and almost everybody is back. “So the one area where there’s any change is the bullpen. With rare exceptions, bullpens seem to get a lot of focus when I talk to other clubs. It’s an area that is kind of up and down from year to year and gets a lot of attention in that regard. We’ll be fine out there, I believe. Give the guys a chance and we’ll see what takes place.’’ ■ I’m not a fan of baseball’s anything-for-a-buck partnership with big-time gambling. The DraftKings connection was bad enough, but now MLB demands that managers send in the daily lineup cards 15 minutes before it public. It’s outrageous and begs for corruption. How can MLB keep punishing Pete Rose with all this going on? ■ Also not a fan of relievers being required to face at least three batters (or finish a half-inning), which will start in 2020. It’s artificial and tampers with legitimate strategy. ■ Stunned by the lengths parents go to in order to get their kids to elite colleges and universities? Perfect College Match, a company that helps high school pitchers get college scholarships, reports parents scheduling unnecessary Tommy John surgery for their sons in hopes that the boys will come back throwing harder than before. Nice. ■ Quiz: Kenley Jansen will become the all-time leader in games pitched for the Dodgers when he gets into his eighth game this season. Who holds the current record? (Answer below.) ■ Theo Epstein to the New York Times: “In the second half [of 2018] we completely fell apart offensively.’’ The Cubs boss said it probably was an anomaly, but added, “If not, then we’re not who we think we are, and we’ll have to make sweeping changes.