Red Sox Insider Reveals How Team Unlocked Rising Star’s Stunning Breakout
The Boston Red Sox have watched several of their young players break out this year, including Ceddanne Rafaela.
After debuting in 2023, Rafaela showed plenty of promise as a rookie last year. In 152 games, the versatile youngster batted .246/.274/.390 with 15 home runs, 75 RBI, 19 stolen bases and 2.8 WAR, all while playing five defensive positions. The Red Sox rewarded him with an eight-year, $50 million contract extension last April, clearly believing in his future.
However, Rafaela wasn’t a finished product yet, especially at the plate. His 15:151 BB/K ratio reflected an overeager approach and poor control of the strike zone, leading some fans to wonder if he was destined to be another Jackie Bradley Jr. instead of a true star.
Those concerns only deepened when Rafaela got off to a slow start this year, slashing .220/.275/.327 through Memorial Day. Fortunately, that’s when things started clicking for him in the batter’s box.
What changed? According to Tim Healey of The Boston Globe, that road series against the Milwaukee Brewers is when Boston’s coaching staff told him to start pulling the ball in the air more frequently.
The adjustment paid off, as Rafaela immediately got hot. Since altering his approach in late May, the 24-year-old has blossomed into one of the best players in baseball.
According to FanGraphs, Rafaela ranks third among position players in WAR since May 27 with 2.1, behind only American League MVP candidates Cal Raleigh (2.8) and Aaron Judge (2.1). In 35 games during that span, he’s batting .320/.351/.625 with nine homers, 12 doubles, 19 RBI and four steals.
Rafaela has played at an MVP-caliber level over the last six weeks, stepping up in the absence of Alex Bregman, Triston Casas and Rafael Devers. He’s given the Red Sox’s streaky offense a massive boost, essentially serving as their second leadoff man out of the nine-hole.
Rafaela still needs to work on his patience based on his 15:62 BB/K ratio this year, but that will come with time. The more important thing is that he’s squaring the ball up when he makes contact, averaging career-highs in barrel rate (12.6%), hard-hit rate (47.1%) and average exit velocity (90.8 mph), according to Statcast.
After a strong first half, Rafaela could be poised for an even bigger second half if he keeps improving, especially if Alex Cora moves him up in the batting order. He may have been snubbed from the All-Star Game, but he’s already given Boston fans plenty to cheer for this summer.