Youngest Red Sox Star Earning Clutch Reputation: 'That Guy's Been Massive For Us'

He may be a rookie, but he's not acting like one...

Aug 30, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop Ceddanne Rafaela (43) hits a two run home run tenth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports / Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

His team had just blown a 4-0 lead. He hadn't hit a home run since Aug. 2. He had just whiffed on back-to-back fastballs, and was already 0-for-3 on the night.

None of that mattered in the slightest.

On Friday night in downtown Detroit, Ceddanne Rafaela got himself an elevated fastball on a 2-2 pitch from Shelby Miller and unleashed a ferocious swing. The ball sailed 398 feet into the Michigan night, and the Red Sox reclaimed the lead by two. They'd go on to secure a crucial win, their 70th of the year.

If it seemed like a familiar story, it was. The Red Sox rookie is earning himself a reputation for these clutch moments, and that's been an encouraging sign as he learns the ropes at the big-league level.

"That guy's been massive for us in situations like that before," Red Sox center fielder Jarren Duran said, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. "I'm pretty sure that's not the only time he has ever done that in extras like that."

Duran, who immediately followed Rafaela's home run with a bomb of his own to provide some cushion, was spot-on. Not only had Rafaela done the exact same thing once already this season, but he's consistently been better when the chips are on the table.

Duran was hearkening back to Jul. 5, when Rafaela launched a two-run homer in the top of the tenth to dead center at Yankee Stadium against Tommy Kahnle, giving the Red Sox an improbable 5-3 win over the New York Yankees. But he's had lots of other big hits this season as well.

There was the solo homer he hit two nights later to secure a series win in the Bronx. And the two-run shot he hit against the Yankees at Fenway Park to spark the comeback on Jul. 26. Or, going all the way back to May 31, there was his first career two-homer game to down those same Detroit Tigers.

All in all, Rafaela has a .350/.395/.600 slash line in situations classed as "high leverage" by FanGraphs. That's good for a 171 wRC+, which ranks 13th in all of Major League Baseball this season, better than Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, and pretty much any other superstar one could name.

It isn't as though Rafaela has been consistently great all season. He's taken his lumps, both offensively and defensively. He chases too much and sometimes sells out for power. He leads rookies in several offensive categories, but he's likely not going to win Rookie of the Year.

However, as the 23-year-old cuts his teeth at the big-league level, he's developing the traits that he'll carry into the rest of what the Red Sox hope is a long, productive career. And being a clutch hitter is among the best traits to have.

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