BREAKING: Red Sox Call Up Rafael Devers To The Big Leagues
#RedSox have called up 20-year-old Rafael Devers. He’ll be in Seattle tomorrow. Not expected to start until Tuesday.
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) July 23, 2017
Honestly a little taken back by this. The move makes sense because realistically, you don’t have much going on up here at third base as is, but I’m still slightly shocked that the Sox are bringing up 20 year old Rafael Devers to the bigs this early.
If you were to ask me at the beginning of the season, I would have said that Devers will be on the major league roster come mid-August. Probably around the same time that Benintendi was brought up last season.
But again, if you were to ask me in February, I would have thought that their third base issues were going to be non-existent because I am one of those IDIOTS who fell into the Pablo Sandoval hype when he was dropping those pounds and looking like an athlete.
Not to get to into Sandoval right now, but what a God damn loser. Could that guy be any more of a piece of garbage? To paraphrase the words of Lou Merloni of WEEI’s midday show, the guy literally just couldn’t play baseball anymore. The play that distinctly replays through my mind when I think of 2017 Pablo is where he is charging a bouncing ground ball and it ricochet off of the heal of his glove like a 14 year old kid in Babe Ruth. Panda was PATHETIC this season and I couldn’t be happier to see him taking hacks in single A ball. Hysterical. Single A.
Back to Devers, one thing I did not think of came from one of our writers, and co-host of the Loose Change Podcast here on the website, Jared Scali on Twitter.
He had this to say…
Devers call up could be to see what they have before deadline. Still need bullpen arm first IMO. @CouchGuySports #RedSox
— Jared Scali (@Jared_Scali) July 23, 2017
Which could be totally true. Either this, or Dombrowski just hasn’t found what he has been looking for out on the trade market. Teams could be simply asking for to much, or he just hasn’t fallen in love with a guy enough to trade away the small amount of assets he has left. Get it? Because he’s traded away every prospect in the system.
Devers in Double A Portland this season hit .300 with 18 home runs. In his 8 games in Triple A Pawtucket, Devers was hitting .355 with two home runs.
In the long haul, I see this guy being the Red Sox future at third base. I’m excited to see him up, I just pray it isn’t to early.
Also, just something I’ve thought about recently. The Red Sox farm system and player development has been so immaculate over the years, that if Devers begins the 2018 season as your starting third baseman, and Sam Travis at first, than all 8 position players, and even technically the DH spot with Hanley Ramirez there, were developed in the Red Sox farm system.
See Dombrowski? There’s nothing wrong with keeping kids in the farm system.
Devers expected to be on the roster and ready to go for their opener in Seattle.
Written By: Nick Quaglia (@NickQuag)