Boston Red Sox star third baseman Rafael Devers is adamant that signing a massive contract extension this offseason hasn’t changed him.
And it sure seems that way at spring training.
The Red Sox peeled back the curtain and gave a behind-the-scenes look at Devers’ fun-loving personality while he was on the practice field Tuesday. Devers was mic’d up as he went through the session and was shown playfully interacting with his teammates. The video, which can be viewed below, shows another side of Devers that Red Sox fans don’t often get to see.
Being the face of the franchise doesn’t keep Devers from being the butt of jokes, though. Devers took some good-natured ribbing from teammate Kiké Hernández while going through some calisthenics-type drills. Then, Devers got into some friendly banter with Alex Verdugo.
Devers claimed to have more speed than Verdugo, who tried to pull a fast one about how many stolen bases he had a season ago, but it didn’t fool Devers.
“Dugie, I’m faster than you, bro,” Devers said. “You slow, bro.”
The mic’d up video also displayed how far Devers has come with his English. While he still does his media interviews in Spanish, Devers improved his English to connect more with his teammates, according to The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey.
And it appears members of the Red Sox like being around Devers just as much as he likes being around them.
