Red Sox’s Rafael Devers Confident ‘Average’ Season Was Aberration

There are few players in Major League Baseball that would complain about having the kind of season Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers had in 2023.

He’s not most players, though.

Devers slashed .271/.351/.500 with 33 home runs and 100 RBIs in his seventh season. That’s a good year for most people, but fell well below the standard he’s set for himself.

“Personally, I would say it was just average,” Devers told Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe in an exclusive interview. “I know that I have so much more to give and more potential. If you take a look at the numbers, it was just an average season.”

Though that final statement might be a touch off base, there’s no doubt Devers has a number of things to improve on.

The 26-year-old has long struggled with the glove, but he showed regression in 2023 which marked his worst defensive season (-9 defensive runs saved) in two years. Devers knows the biggest step he can take is on that end, believing his new partner on the left side will go a long way in helping.

“This game can be frustrating and those moments will stick with you longer. Sometimes it goes by really fast, too. It just depends,” Devers told Abraham. “But you need to move on… I feel (Trevor Story) is one of the best shortstops out there with his range to both sides and how his body moves. He’s like Superman there, (so) to work with him in spring training will be nice. The last few weeks of the season were much better playing with him. I felt like we played together well.

The Red Sox will certainly be looking at Devers to not only improve, but re-enter the MVP conversation after signing a massive deal prior to the start of last season.