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Despite the uneven start, the Boston Red Sox are right in the thick of the American League East race. This year’s team currently sits at 22-20 and in second place in the division, with the New York Yankees just two games ahead. The expectations are high this season for the Red Sox as they look to break a three-year playoff drought.
To do that, several players will have to break out of early-season slumps. This includes the franchise’s super-talented center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela. The Willemstad, Curaçao native was one of the Red Sox’s top-ranked farm prospects over the past few years. Now, Rafaela is the starting center fielder, however, he is struggling significantly behind the plate.
Rafael is posting a .242 batting average with just two home runs and 15 RBIs through 37 games. The 24-year-old is noticeably frustrated over his recent struggles, but franchise manager Alex Cora seemed adamant that his young star would eventually break out of this slump. In an interview with Red Sox beat writer Chris Cotillo, the former World Series champ detailed what adjustments Rafaela needs to make going forward.
"There's a few things different mechanic-wise,” Cora said. “We've been working on a few adjustments the last 10-15 days. It's paying off. He's more direct to the ball. He's hitting the ball out in front.
He's still swinging a lot. Kind of solving the problem early in the AB. He needs to understand that when he gets deeper into counts, he can still be in control of the at-bat. He's putting in good at-bats with RISP. It's the give and take. We want him to be aggressive and swing at pitches in the zone, but at the same time, he can put an at-bat together."
Plenty of talented prospects have had to endure growing pains before becoming quality big league starters. Rafaela is still in his second season on this level and has the talent to eventually live up to the hype he’s received when in the minors. However, the center fielder will have to improve his form over the next few months if the Red Sox want to return to October baseball in 2025.
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Dylan is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a contributing journalist who has covered a range of topics in his career, including local politics in the DMV region to live sporting events. A graduate of Georgetown University, Dylan is also currently working as an associate editor at ClutchPoints, where he has provided coverage for the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and college football/basketball.
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