Rafael Devers continued his torrid start to the 2019 season Sunday against the Astros by going 2-for-4 with a mammoth home run that turned out to be the difference in the Red Sox 4-1 win.
52 games into his second full season of action, Devers is hitting .330/.393/.508 with seven home runs and 30 RBI.
This had to be what the Red Sox envisioned he could become when they called him up to the majors as a 20-year-old in the middle of the 2017 season. Devers experienced early success in 2017 but struggled at times last year, hitting .240 along with 211 strikeouts.
Now it seems Devers is putting it all together. Over his last 27 games, he is hitting .377/.415/.640 while helping the Red Sox fight their way out of the hole they dug themselves with an early-season slump.
But when asked if he considered himself as one of the best third basemen in the American League, Devers wasn't ready to give himself that type of praise yet.
He's up against the likes of Houston's Alex Bregman, Cleveland's Jose Ramirez and Oakland's Matt Chapman, but it's a promising sign that Devers doesn't believe his work is done.
And for the Red Sox to stay in contention for years to come, Devers will have to develop into the kind of player where it's easy to place him among the league's elite in the hot corner.
Boston Red Sox
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