Rafael Devers struggles/triumphs and the future

[mvp 78]

The issue as it pertains to Devers is what Moon said back in the spring - that as a 21 year old Devers is going to have a learning curve, and very possibly the middle of a pennant race isn't the best time for him to be learning.

 

Right now I have 0 confidence in Devers. He shows every indication that he's going to become a special player but on the whole he's hurting this 2018 team. Very possibly the only reason he's playing is because there's nobody else to play 3rd base on a regular basis.

 

However, this team has built a 10 game lead in spite of Devers play so apparently we can afford to have him learn now. I'm just hoping it doesn't bite us in the playoffs because, as the saying goes, "If a team has a weakness the ball will find it."

 

The Sox have 13 more wins than any other team in MLB. Right now is the perfect time to play Devers.

[vegasbob]

Agreed that Devers should be playing since he's not derailing the pennant run . It would be more encouraging if the At Bats showed signs of pitch recognition and that he will not get strikes to hit until he learns some basic discipline. It won't happen this way but Cora should let him go a game or two and never take a swing just so he can see where the various pitches end up, and how to see the release and spin on the ball.

 

Maybe standing in for some bullpen side sessions with the starting pitchers could achieve some progress on seeing the pitches. He still needs to catch up with the fastball as he did last year with Chapman. That's not the guy we are seeing now. The fielding will improve with reps , coaching and experience.

 

It would be a shame if the Sox wasted this talent by having brought him up too quickly, saw some early success and then slumped into Middlebrooks land wrecking his confidence.

[moonslav59]

The issue as it pertains to Devers is what Moon said back in the spring - that as a 21 year old Devers is going to have a learning curve, and very possibly the middle of a pennant race isn't the best time for him to be learning.

 

Right now I have 0 confidence in Devers. He shows every indication that he's going to become a special player but on the whole he's hurting this 2018 team. Very possibly the only reason he's playing is because there's nobody else to play 3rd base on a regular basis.

 

However, this team has built a 10 game lead in spite of Devers play so apparently we can afford to have him learn now. I'm just hoping it doesn't bite us in the playoffs because, as the saying goes, "If a team has a weakness the ball will find it."

 

I've actually been impressed with one area of Rafael's defense. His range has been plus. He also has a strong arm, but it needs a lot of work with accuracy.

 

He has 20 errors this year, and the next guy has 14. He's played less innings than seven 3Bmen, so it's even worse than it looks. I did anticipate a learning curve with his defense, and we can see we're in the midst of it now.

 

I did, however, expect his bat to outweigh the negative on defense. I knew he might struggle, at times, but I didn't expect a .721 OPS in August.

 

.721 is not bad at all for someone his age, and I'm not complaining. I think he'll turn into a great ML hitter real soon. My position now is that his bat is really not making up for his inaccurate arm, but overall, I'd say he is not a negative. He does have a +0.8 WAR, which indicates, he's a plus.

 

I know when you're trying to win a ring, you look to your weaker areas, but weaker does not mean weak. I think 2B has been our weakest position so far, and hopefully Kinsler's return will fix that. His return might also allow Holt and Nunez to play 3B more often.

 

It was never an ideal situation, but I think Devers has been okay.

[mvp 78]

It would be a shame if the Sox wasted this talent by having brought him up too quickly, saw some early success and then slumped into Middlebrooks land wrecking his confidence.

 

It doesn't work that way. If he doesn't make it, it's on himself not DD.