Rafael Devers’ Batting Stance Is More Extreme; So Are His Struggles

Last week, Baseball Savant released its newest feature. Fans can now explore a batting stance leaderboard that offers insights on batters’ positioning within the batter’s box. If you want to learn more, Mike Petriello wrote a solid overview of different batting stances across the league. If you're just focused on the Red Sox, you won't be surprised to learn that Rafael Devers, the Red Sox’s newly-minted designated hitter, has arguably the most extreme batting stance in all of baseball. He sets himself up by extending his right leg behind his body with his left leg slightly crouched. From the pitcher’s perspective, Devers’ body resembles the letter K. 

Pre-swing, Devers steps forward with his right leg, placing it closer to the front of the batter’s box. Thereafter, he rotates his hips and shoulders simultaneously. His hand movement follows a horizontal J shape, starting at eye level before coiling back and moving with his lower body. At the end of his swing, his bat rests on his right shoulder. This clip offers a slow-motion view of his swing from the open side.

The separation of Devers’ hips and shoulders and his rapid barrel acceleration generate a ton of power. In 2024, his 52.6% hard-hit rate put him in the 95th percentile, and his average 93.2-mph exit velocity ranked in the 96th. It’s evident that Devers’ batting stance has changed from last season. He is standing farther back in the batter’s box, closer to the umpire. His right foot is now positioned almost outside of the batter's box and his stance angle increased from 67 degrees in 2024 to 77 degrees in 2025. Devers stance is so dramatically open that only one other player in baseball is within 30 degrees of him. From left to right, the images below show 2023, 2024, and 2025.

Devers is also holding the bat significantly higher. Previously, he held the bat knob at eye level. Now, it’s high above his head.

Despite the higher positioning of his hands, Devers’ swing length has decreased by 4 inches. Moreover, his average bat speed dropped from 72.5 mph in 2024 to 69.0 mph in 2025. There's a good reason for this: Devers has been behind on everything. Statcast measures bat speed at the moment the bat is closest to the ball, and the bat accelerates through the hitting zone. Because Devers is constantly getting beat, his bat speed is being measured deeper, when his bat hasn't gotten going yet. The chart below displays Devers’ batting stats and swing mechanics since 2023.

Suffice it to say Devers’ batting adjustments haven’t helped him so far. He struck out 10 times over the first three games of the season, a new record, and added two more in the fourth game. As of Monday morning, he was tied for the highest strikeout rate in baseball. My biggest takeaway from his adjustments is the shift in his timing. A wider stance can help a batter generate more power with a longer swing, but it also increases the margin for error, requiring more movement to get into a hitting position, which could make it harder to adjust to offspeed pitches. With his right foot positioned farther back, Devers has been late on fastballs and looks like a pumpkin against offspeed pitches and breaking balls. Last year, Statcast had him worth 13 runs against fastballs, but in 2025, he's whiffed on 74% of them.

Despite his rocky start, Devers remains an elite batter. He won't be down forever. He spent the offseason (and some of spring training) recovering from shoulder injuries and might just need more time to get comfortable at the plate. He's one of the game's best, most consistent hitters, and he's accustomed to making adjustments at the plate.

In each of the past three seasons, the Red Sox have recorded winning records in the first half of the season and losing records in the second half. If anything, I’d welcome a slower start to the season if it means that the Red Sox will finish the season strong. It’s worth noting that four games is a tiny sample size. That said, in their first series against the Rangers, the Red Sox stranded 32 runners. With the exceptions of Wilyer Abreu and Kristian Campbell, they struck out 38 times in 110 at-bats, and put up a measly .118/.192/.136 slash line, according to Ian Browne. If the Red Sox are going to succeed, Devers will need to keep adjusting until he gets his timing back.