Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela Continues To Draw Comparison To Mookie Betts

The top prospect cannot escape lofty comparisons

Scott Neville | Sep 27, 2022

Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela Continues To Draw Comparison To Mookie Betts /

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Boston Red Sox

Do the Boston Red Sox have the next Mookie Betts waiting in the wings?

The idea of any prospect living up to such lofty expectations is almost impossible, but there's one man who cannot escape the comparison. Boston's No. 3 prospect according to MLB Pipeline is being compared to Betts by many that see him play on a nightly basis.

“I think of Mookie Betts really when I see him,” Double-A Portland teammate David Hamilton told MassLive's Christopher Smith on Monday. “He can do it all. He can hit. He can field. He can run. He can throw. So he’s a great player.”

Hamilton, -- who won the Red Sox's Minor League Baserunner of the Year award for stealing 70 bases this season -- is not the only person to see the resemblance.

“Mookie can be (ticked) at me, but this kid runs circles around where (Betts) was at this point in time,” Portland Sea Dogs manager Chad Epperson told The Boston Globe's Alex Speier earlier in the month. “That’s how special this kid is. You have to see it.”

It should be noted that Epperson's comment was in regards to Rafaela's defensive capabilities, as like Betts, he made a transition from infield to outfield, which has gone extremely well so far. In fact, Rafaela was named the organization's Defensive Player of the Year.

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The 22-year-old also hit .299 with 63 extra-base hits including 21 home runs, 86 RBIs, 28 steals (in 35 attempts) and a .880 OPS in 116 games between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland.

It appears as if it won't be long before fans are heading to see Rafaela at Fenway Park, as he's projected to start the 2023 season in Triple-A Worcester and could make his major league debut in the same season should he stay on his current path.

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Published Sep 27, 2022

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu