Did ‘MLB The Show 23’ Shortchange Red Sox Star Rafael Devers?

With ‘MLB The Show 23’ set to release this month, a few early player ratings have already been revealed, including that of Boston Red Sox slugger Rafael Devers.

Devers had yet another strong offensive showing for the Red Sox last season, hitting .295 with 27 home runs over the course of his 141-game campaign, which earned him an 11-year, $331 million payday with the organization this past offseason. And ever since the homegrown talent made his debut with the Red Sox back in 2017, Devers has quickly grown into becoming one of the league’s brightest young stars.

However, did the creators of ‘MLB The Show 23′ appropriately depict that with Devers’ new rating in the video game? Well, no.

Devers was rated an 84 overall, which is a drop from his 86 overall rating in last year’s edition of the game. This likely resulted from Devers’ home run drop, which stood at 38 following the 2021 season.

Watch Devers react to the reveal of his rating here:

The 26-year-old All-Star also notched an 88 rating in contact against right-handed pitchers and 93 in power against right-handed pitching. Devers batted .304, crushing 23 homers and driving in 62 RBIs over the course of 452 plate appearances against righties in 2022. Devers also lowered his strikeout rate to 18.6%, his lowest in the last three years.

However, Devers also recorded a career-best .964 fielding percentage in 138 games at the hot corner last season, which should’ve been taken into greater consideration. That only spoke volumes of the franchise stars’ growth as during his earlier years, many concerns centered around Devers’ defensive abilities at third base.

And while Devers offered a humbling reaction to his rating, perhaps he can utilize the 2023 World Baseball Classic as a preview of proving ‘MLB The Show’ wrong in 2023.