The future is somewhat uncertain when it comes to Rafael Devers and the Red Sox. If the slugger remains in Boston for the bulk of his career, though, it’s already clear he’ll go down among the franchise greats.
That’s because Devers is off to a sensational start to what looks like a long, successful career. The third baseman is very much in the news right now, given his contract situation and to a lesser extent, how he could be the next great Red Sox slugger with David Ortiz set to join the Baseball Hall of Fame this weekend.
And with not much else going on in the sports world, it got us thinking: Just how well does Devers stack up with some of the greatest Red Sox hitters of all time?
The formula to finding that answer is pretty simple. Devers has played 634 career games, so we just compared what he’s been able to do to begin his career with other Sox sluggers over the years and how they fared in their first 634 games with the team. That last part is important, as it ultimately means Ortiz’s production in Minnesota or Manny Ramirez’s Cleveland numbers aren’t factored into this specific exercise.
The results were, well, predictable. Devers is quite good at hitting the baseball.
HOME RUNS
1. David Ortiz 182
2. Jimmie Foxx 179
3. Manny Ramirez 170
4. Ted Williams 139
5. Rafael Devers 134
6. Jim Rice 129
— Somewhere between Williams and Rice is pretty good company to keep. Quite frankly, the biggest takeaway here might be Foxx is actually underrated in Boston baseball history, but that’s a discussion for another day. Oh, and for what it’s worth: Babe Ruth hit 49 home runs in 391 career games with the Red Sox.
DOUBLES
1. Dustin Pedroia 185
2. Mookie Betts 184
2. Nomar Garciaparra 184
4. David Ortiz 175
5. Joe Cronin 174
6. Rafael Devers 173
6. John Valentin 173
— Just 11 doubles over the course of 600-plus games separate Pedroia and Devers here, so it’s basically the same. This list also serves as the first reminder of the path Betts was on before his Red Sox tenure came to a close. Valentin also was a criminally underrated Red Sox player.
HITS
1. Nomar Garciaparra 884
2. Wade Boggs 853
3. Doc Cramer 828
4. Johnny Pesky 828
5. Ted Williams 808
6. Tris Speaker 795
…
22. Ellis Burks 710
22. Rafael Devers 710
— This one is kind of interesting. At various points of his career thus far, Devers’ average has yo-yo’d. Like in 2018 when he hit .240 before bouncing back to hit .311 the following year. Last season, he “only” hit .279, but this season, he’s hitting .324 and leads the American League in hits. All of that is to say he could shoot up this leaderboard as his career progresses and he develops a more consistent approach at the plate. Still great regardless. That being said, Garciaparra’s spot atop this list is a reminder of how there are no true certainties.
TOTAL BASES
1. Jimmie Foxx 1,527
2. Nomar Garciaparra 1,476
3. Ted Williams 1,459
4. David Ortiz 1,436
5. Jim Rice 1,344
6. Mookie Betts 1,321
7. Rafael Devers 1,299
— Pretty good company, huh?
SLUGGING PERCENTAGE (at least 2,700 plate appearances)
1. Ted Williams .641
2. Jimmie Foxx .636
3. David Ortiz .603
4. Nomar Garciaparra .569
5. Jim Rice .540
6. Rafael Devers .522
7. Mookie Betts .514
— How many different ways can you make the point that the guy is just really, really, really good?
