Rafael Devers

BIOGRAPHY

Rafael Devers was born on October 24, 1996, in Sánchez, Dominican Republic. He is a third baseman in the MLB.

The Red Sox signed 16-year-old free agent Devers in August 2013. Devers, who ranked sixth overall among the top 50 international prospects, agreed to a $1.5 million deal. According to an MLB.com report, he was at the time considered by some scouts to be the best left-handed hitter available on the international market. Devers began the 2018 season as Boston's regular third baseman. He hit his first career grand slam on April 18, off of Tyler Skaggs of the Los Angeles Angels. He hit his second grand slam on June 30, off of Sonny Gray of the New York Yankees. That night, Devers, who went 5-for-5, became the youngest player to hit a grand slam in a Red Sox–Yankees game, at the age of 21 years and 249 days.

In Game 5 of the 2018 ALCS Devers hit a game winning 3-run home run in the 6th inning, which would be the deciding factor in sending the Red Sox to the World Series. In Game 4 of the World Series in 2018, Devers became the youngest player with a go-ahead RBI in 9th or later of a World Series game since Edgar Renteria's walk-off single in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series. His RBI and defensive skills helped the Red Sox win that game. After Game 5, the Red Sox won the series, giving Devers his first championship title.

In 2021, Devers returned as Boston's primary third baseman, and on July 1 was named the AL starter at that position for the 2021 All-Star Game. On September 4, Devers hit a three-run home run against Cleveland—it was his 33rd home run of the season and gave him 100 RBIs for the second time in his career. Overall during the regular season, Devers batted .279 in 156 games with 38 home runs and 113 RBIs. He also played in 11 postseason games, batting 13-for-44 (.295) as the Red Sox advanced to the ALCS. During Game 2 of the ALCS, both J. D. Martinez and Devers hit grand slams, marking the first time an MLB team had two grand slams in a playoff game. On November 11, Devers was announced as the AL recipient of the Silver Slugger Award for third basemen. He also received votes in American League MVP balloting, finishing in 11th place, and was selected as the second-team third baseman on the All-MLB Team.

On March 23, 2022, Devers signed an $11.2 million contract with the Red Sox, avoiding salary arbitration. He was again the team's regular third baseman. In voting for the All-Star Game, Devers was selected by fans to the AL starting lineup.