Rafael Devers wants to make third base his home for the entirety of his Major League Baseball career.
It makes sense given that it’s the only position Devers has played and he has made some nice grabs for the Boston Red Sox during his time there. And while he has struggled at times defensively at the corner position, the 25-year-old wants to continue to work at his craft.
“Of course. That’s the position I have played my whole career so I hope to play third base my whole career,” Devers told WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford through translator Carlos Villoria-Benitez. “I’m ready. God-willing, if I stay healthy everything will work out this year.”
There’s no denying what a threat Devers is at the plate. He finished the 2021 season with 38 home runs and figures to build off that total in 2022. But he did have 22 errors last year after committing 14 in the shortened 2020 season.
Devers finished spring training without an error and Red Sox manager Alex Cora lauded the work ethic he brought ahead of the regular season.
“He is locked in,” Cora told reporters after Boston’s spring training finale, per WEEI.com. “He took spring training like it was the regular season.”
Now, we will just have to wait and see if that progress translates to the regular season.
The Red Sox open their 2022 season Friday afternoon on the road against the New York Yankees. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. ET, with pregame coverage on NESN beginning at 11:30 a.m.
