Rafael Devers has been a force at the plate, this much we know.
The Boston Red Sox third baseman was rewarded for his monster month of May by being named the American League Player of the Month. Devers batted .351 and crushed eight home runs with 24 RBIs in 26 games in May.
The 22-year-old did struggle a bit as his position to begin the season, but has made some vast improvements of late. Manager Alex Cora shed light on what he believed motivated Devers at the dish, and now he’s opening up about his defense.
During his weekly appearance on WEEI’s “Ordway, Merloni and Fauria,” the Red Sox skipper referred to Devers as an “elite” third baseman.
“Defensively, the last month, you start looking at him and start comparing with numbers, he’s been elite,” he told hosts Glenn Ordway, Lou Merloni and Christian Fauria. “We’re very proud. He made a commitment in the offseason to this game and it’s paying off.”
Cora also was asked about Devers’ weight and how he was able to keep it off.
“I stopped doing gift cards,” Cora said with a laugh. “That was a bad idea. Everything is incentive-drive. You tell him, ‘OK, five dollars if you hit the wall’ and boom he hits the wall. OK, $75 dollar certificate for your favorite restaurant if you walk. And all of a sudden he walks five times in three days.”
If Devers can keep the recent pace both at the plate and at third base, he’s going to quite an all-around baseball player for years to come.
