Leandre: Best Red Sox lineup still has Rafael Devers at 3B
Rafael Devers made headlines Monday when he proclaimed he was a third baseman and would not accept a move to full-time designated hitter.
Contrary to increasingly popular belief, the Boston Red Sox best lineup in 2025 still features All-Star Rafael Devers at third base.
The 28-year-old appears to agree, according to his comments during his first media session of the season Monday.
“I play third (base),” Devers told reporters, before later adding he isn’t changing his position “on a whim.” That includes both designated hitter and the manufactured talking point of the winter, first base.
You could hear the metaphorical steam emerging from Red Sox Nation’s ears when those words left his mouth, despite the fact everyone would be complaining had Devers conceded the position before exhibition play began.
But we all know why the collective wants Devers off third base. As much as they claim it’s because they signed fellow All-Star Alex Bregman, it’s more because of the hype surrounding top infield prospect Kristian Campbell. While the 22-year-old may be the second coming, he’s yet to prove beyond 19 games in Triple-A that he can handle the increased skill that comes with ascension to MLB.
Per manager Alex Cora, everyone has a chance to make the club out of camp. Not just Campbell but also guys like outfielder Roman Anthony and shortstop Marcelo Mayer. While Campbell very well may make the Opening Day roster, there’s no guarantee he will nor a guarantee he will thrive at the big-league level.
Given his athleticism, why not leave the door open for him to play a position like left field?
Yes, the Red Sox were one of the league’s worst defensive clubs in 2024 — that much must improve this season. However, they cannot become so focused on run prevention that they worsen their opportunity to score runs.
Moving Devers to DH displaces third-year left fielder/DH Masataka Yoshida, who was the team’s best hitter with runners in scoring position both in terms of batting average (.308) and weighted runs created plus (132).
Much has been made of the Japanese phenom’s value as a left-handed bat with less-than-optimal pop at DH, but there’s no argument the team is a better offensive unit without him.
While second-year outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela became an RBI machine in 2024, he was hardly Mr. Consistent in those situations. He ranked eighth out of 11 Red Sox — minimum 70 plate appearances — with runners in scoring position with a 101 wRC+.
Sure, his defense in center field is sublime, but he also had multiple stretches of 200-plus plate appearances with a sub-70 wRC+ — 55 from Opening Day through May 30, 66 from July 22 through Game 162.
Cora also mentioned he always viewed Bregman as a gold glove-caliber second baseman, dating back to their days together in Houston. That was the major appeal to signing him over trading for the disgruntled Nolan Arenado.
To suddenly become so non-committal to an idea that had so much helium created by the Red Sox is silly and speaks volumes to why Devers felt blindsided by the team approaching him about a position change last Friday.
Here’s a projected lineup with Devers at DH and another with him at third base. Which one is better?
Yes, Devers is a bad defensive third baseman, and the team would be much better off defensively if he “took one for the team” and conceded third base. However, there’s no special potion that one drinks when they become an everyday DH that guarantees a hitter maintains or improves offensive production.
J.D. Martinez, a former Red Sox who shared a displeasure for playing DH every day, was a 143 wRC+ bat for the Red Sox when he played the outfield. He was still a very good 129 wRC+ as a DH, but he was still worse. The aforementioned Yoshida is a 122 wRC+ bat as a left fielder, a 103 as a DH.
David Ortiz had to DH to survive in MLB, as he was brought in essentially as the third-string first baseman in 2003 behind Kevin Millar and Jeremy Giambi. Just because he made a Hall of Fame career out of it, doesn’t mean Devers will do the same. And he certainly won’t if his heart isn’t in the decision to make him one.
