There Should Be Zero Panic with Rafael Devers

Mandatory Photo Credit: Maddie Malhotra / Red Sox Contributor / Getty Images

It’s only been two games for the Boston Red Sox and there have been some good things to take away and some bad things. The good: Kristian Campbell belongs and his bat is playing in the lineup. Even his defense is steady. Wilyer Abreu might be the MVP of the series and it isn’t particularly close. The Red Sox defense has been really good.

But it all hasn’t been good. Things are not off to a good start for some of the hitters, especially Rafael Devers. While the bottom of the lineup has managed to get things done, the heart of the lineup has not and Devers is a large reason why.

The Results Thus Far

You know that Bart Simpson meme where he’s writing on the chalkboard repeatedly with the same words? Everyone writing out “It’s only two games” over and over should allow us to cope with the start he’s had. But in reality, the start is ugly for the new designated hitter for the Red Sox.

Devers is 0-8 with seven strikeouts. SEVEN. In the second game against the Rangers, Devers struck out four times, which was more than the rest of the lineup combined. Not to mention, he had the perfect opportunity with the bases loaded and struck out with one out. Triston Casas has also gotten off to a slow start, which has hurt the offense as well. For context purposes, batters 2-5 are 2-31 in the first two games of the season. However, with how the Spring went, Devers is the main topic for this conversation.

It is not time to panic, so let’s discuss this entire situation and what could be playing a factor.

How We Got to this Point?

For the majority of the winter we heard “Raffy is our third baseman” and now it has turned into “He will never play the position again”. And sure, the writing was on the wall as they were going to likely land Nolan Arenado if Bregman did not sign. The idea of upgrading defensively was always on the table. However, there is the human element to things.

The front office could have handled things better. Devers went from third base to being asked to switch almost immediately after the Bregman signing. He was adamant he was a third baseman and I can’t blame him for having pride. Players, especially at the major league level, are routine oriented. They have a routine that they follow and they also take pride in their job and their craft. Yes, Devers is not a good defender but he still is a prideful human being. Ultimately, he is willing to do what’s best for the team to win, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t mentally on his mind and nobody knows how he truly feels except for him.

But it goes beyond that. He did miss most of Spring Training. This is the time where players can work on things. Timing is a big thing and it’s time that he missed. This is not necessarily a shock to anyone. Take last year for instance. Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery missed Spring Training and they had rough starts to the season. Also, Matt Chapman had a slow start as well with the missed Spring games. The stats may not matter in Spring, but getting into a rhythm matters and Devers missed that time. Alex Cora touched on it after the game talking about his struggles.

"Not catching up with the fastball... He's gonna keep working. That's what he's been doing the whole time, and he'll be alright."

Devers did speak with the media after Friday night’s loss and handled the interview very well.

He isn’t concerned with the rough start and says he feels good despite the rough results. This was the quote that eased my mind, denying any frustration with moving off 3rd base: "That's in the past... I'm a DH. I feel like you guys need to change the subject because that is over, and I'm the DH."

This isn’t the first time Devers has had to deal with rough starts before. MLB.com reporter Ian Browne released a stat last night showing that Devers started 0-11 in 2020 and 0-13 in 2021. And the ‘21 season was arguably the best season of Devers' career.

At the end of the day, it’s 2 games. It’s 8 ABs out of hopefully 600+. The Red Sox offense clearly needs Devers to be elite if they want to reach their potential but as long as Devers is healthy, there’s zero reason to doubt that Devers isn’t his normal elite self this season.