MASHANTUCKET, Conn. — Rafael Devers has a huge supporter in David Ortiz, and now he wants to do right by the Boston Red Sox legend.
Ortiz told reporters Friday night at Red Sox Winter Weekend at Foxwoods Casino that he sees a little bit of himself in the young Sox slugger.
That’s big praise for such a young player, but it’s not totally unwarranted. Devers dazzled in a brief major league stint, hitting 10 home runs and driving in 30 runs in just 60 games with the big club. He was one of Boston’s top performers in the playoffs, too, hitting a pair of home runs in the club’s American League Division Series loss to the eventual world champion Houston Astros.
Devers insists he’s not going to try to do too much, but he also doesn’t want to let down Ortiz after such lofty praise.
“I don’t take it lightly, and it’s an honor to have him say that. I just wanna do my best to not let him down and let those words mean something and not have it be just empty,” Devers said Saturday through a translator.
Devers said he hasn’t spoken to Ortiz in a while but he’s looking forward to spring training where he’ll be able to bend the Red Sox legend’s ear.
“I want to learn from someone like him who’s a future Hall of Famer, an All-Star and just pick his brain for any tips he can give me, any data he can give me,” Devers said. “I look forward to that opportunity.”
In light of what Ortiz said Friday, it seems the feeling is mutual.
