Emotions raged by the end of Rafael Devers‘ tenure with the Boston Red Sox. At one point, he had been a fan favorite, but refusing to change positions had led to frustrations and concerns that he was either selfish or immature, or both.
Those concerns have followed him to the San Francisco Giants. So much so that in a recent report from Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic, another bit of immaturity from his time with the Red Sox was revealed. Devers didn’t respect how the Red Sox handled batting practice.
Rafael Devers Didn’t Respect How the Boston Red Sox Handle Batting Practice
GettyRafael Devers with the Boston Red Sox
The story itself that Ghiroli was writing had to do with the position Buster Posey, the Giants president, and the difficult position he’s in. A major part of that situation is the roster he built, with Rafael Devers as an expensive centerpiece.
Making that decision was a risk by Posey. Ghiroli used this story from Devers’ time with the Red Sox to explain why. He’s never necessarily been a team player.
Essentially, the Red Sox traditionally let the veterans get into the batting cages first. Devers wouldn’t respect that and would often go earlier than he was supposed to, which angered one veteran so much that they threatened to get their swings in while he was still in the cage.
“Devers is a big bat built for a win-now team,” Ghiroli wrote. “The Giants aren’t contending, and the 29-year-old’s contract may soon be an albatross, one that the Red Sox were happy to shed. While he was a three-time All-Star in Boston, some in the organization found Devers immature and selfish. On more than one occasion, Devers became upset when asked to honor the age-old practice of letting veteran players with more service time hit first in the batting cages. One former Red Sox star threatened to start swinging with Devers still in the cage if he didn’t move.”
It’s worth noting what the story doesn’t share. That includes what year this happened and who the veteran was. It also doesn’t share the outcome. Still, it goes to show how many concerns there were that he was selfish with the Red Sox.
Rafael Devers Created Maturity Concerns in Miami This Season
GettySan Francisco Giants slugger Rafael Devers
Those concerns about maturity and selfishness have followed Devers to the Giants. In particular, a moment earlier this season against the Miami Marlins when he tried to refuse to be substituted out of a game for a pinch runner.
Eventually, Devers would come out, but he was clearly frustrated in the dugout. Later, manager Tony Vitello and president Buster Posey needed to answer some awkward questions about it. Devers, however, wasn’t contrite. He’d tell media members, “You guys just blow everything out of proportion.”
Meanwhile, San Francisco radio host Mark Willard apologized to Red Sox fans. He came around that there was some good reason to be critical of Devers.
“I want to apologize to the city of Boston,” Willard said. “You were right. The whole weekend was embarrassing, and the Giants know it. They are a national story when they’re 15 games under .500.”
Despite all of that, Devers is having a strong season statistically. He’s hitting .244 with a .321 OBP, a .467 slugging percentage, and a .788 OPS. He has 24 home runs and 64 RBIs.
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