After being compared to David Ortiz by Manny Ramirez, Rafael Devers received some more compliments from former third baseman Adrián Beltré.
Beltré managed the American League team in Saturday’s All-Star Futures Game and was interviewed before the start of the matchup at Dodger Stadium.
“I think (Devers) is going to be way better than me,” Beltré told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.
Some similarities can be seen between the two with both of them stemming from the Dominican Republic, playing the hot corner and swinging a big bat.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora, Beltré’s teammate in Los Angeles from 1998 to 2004, made the same connection in the past.
“Alex (Cora) talked to me about him and I saw a lot of me in him, not being comfortable in the fact he needed to slow down the game, especially defensively,” Beltré told Speier. “I explained things, how to view things, how I learned the hard way… He learned right away. I saw the changes. He texted me a couple of times, ‘Hey, I did this like this.’ We kept it going and kept in touch… Man, he’s a player.
“That kid is so talented. I was always a fan, the way he carries himself, the way he learns, the way he is humble in asking questions,” Beltré continued. “We talked before and he asked some questions about defense and stuff, and he’s come a long way. I’m a big fan and I can’t wait for him to stay healthy and see how good he will become. He’s a special kid.”
Beltré had a breakout season when he was 25, the same age that Devers is now, when he batted .334 and recorded 48 homers. Devers, preparing for his second All-Star Game on Tuesday, is currently batting .327 with 22 home runs heading into Sunday’s game against the New York Yankees.
