Red Sox Rookie's Performance Showing 'Some Concerning Signs,' New Report Says

Are criticisms of this Boston youngster valid?

Sep 6, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas (36) high-fives shortstop Ceddanne Rafaela (43) after a game against the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox have had an uncharacteristic youth movement in 2024, which has led to mixed results.

During the early days of summer, when the Red Sox were the hottest team in Major League Baseball, their youthful energy and athletic identity were the talk of the town. They surged to a 53-42 record at the All-Star break, holding a spot in the American League playoffs.

Now, though, their success has come unraveled. With 12 games to play, the Red Sox are four games out of playoff position, having sabotaged their record with back-to-back losing months in August and September.

No one represents the ups and downs of the Red Sox's season like rookie utility man Ceddanne Rafaela. That was reflected in a performance review on Tuesday that also had some misleading remarks about the 23-year-old.

Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly graded the performances of 15 top rookies in Major League Baseball this season, assessing Rafaela a "B-."

"Ceddanne Rafaela is a little difficult to evaluate. There is some great stuff on his resume this season, but there's also some concerning signs," Kelly said.

"Offensively, Rafaela has 21 doubles, five triples, 15 home runs and 70 RBI—all impressive marks. His .279 on-base percentage and 86 OPS+ (100 is the league average) are not good."

Kelly is spot-on here. Rafaela has shown some good signs this year, particularly when it comes to hitting in the clutch, but he chases far too often, which makes his on-base percentage borderline unpalatable. He hasn't drawn a walk since Aug. 9, a span of 110 plate appearances.

Where Kelly's "report card" for Rafaela misses the mark, though, is on defense.

"Shortstop and center fielder are the two primary positions he's played. His defensive metrics at each spot are entirely different.

Shortstop: Negative-2 defensive runs saved and negative-7 outs above average over 647 innings

Center Field: 10 defensive runs saved and five outs above average over 559.1 innings

Rafaela is probably most valuable in the super-utility role, but if you had to pick a spot for him to see the bulk of his time at, it would be at shortstop given that the aforementioned Duran is a Gold Glove-caliber center fielder. But Rafaela has been way more effective in the outfield than at shortstop."

Firstly, Rafaela's overall numbers at shortstop may be subpar this season, but he has made adjustments there and had tremendous success since early August. He has 2 OAA at shortstop since the beginning of the series against the Houston Astros on Aug. 19.

Second, Rafaela still plays center field over Duran whenever he is not needed at shortstop and is widely considered to be the superior defender at the position. It's amazing to have a backup option at the center field spot as good as Duran has been, but the Red Sox still see Rafaela's future as the everyday center fielder if his bat can keep him there.

As for the overall grade of "B-," though... Yeah, that seems pretty fair.

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