Scorching-Hot Rafael Devers Joins Ted Williams in Elite Company

Rafael Devers is the first player to reach the 100-RBI plateau in 2019. 

The 22-year-old wrapped up his otherworldly week with a terrific Sunday, going 4-for-5 with a homer, two doubles and four RBIs in the Boston Red Sox’s 13-7 thumping of the visiting Baltimore Orioles.

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— Red Sox Stats (@redsoxstats) August 18, 2019

Completing a three-game sweep of the lowly Orioles, the Red Sox won their fifth consecutive contest. They still trail the Tampa Bay Rays by 6.5 games for the second AL Wild Card spot, but the monster production of Devers has made the Red Sox a must-watch.

Devers mashed his 27th homer of the season in Boston's win over Baltimore. (Michael Dwyer/AP)

Devers is the first player to register 100-plus runs and RBIs in a season before age 23 since future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera did so in 2005. The only other Red Sox player in franchise history to accomplish this feat was the legendary Ted Williams.

“Yeah, I mean, obviously it feels good to be a part of that group,” Devers said after Sunday’s win. “But overall I’m just trying to help the team as much as I can whether it’s baserunning, playing defense, that’s what I’m more focused on is just trying to contribute as much as I can to help the team win ballgames.”

During Devers’ eight-game hitting streak, he is 20-for-37 with eight doubles, four homers and 14 RBIs with a 1.656 OPS.

Devers leads MLB in hits (167), extra-base hits (76), RBIs (101) and total bases (300). Ty Cobb is the only other player in history to lead the league in these categories in his age-22 season, dating back to 1909.

Batting .332—the third-best in MLB—Devers has a shot at winning the American League MVP. Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout is currently the favorite to nab the award. Trout leads the AL in homers (41) and his MLB-best WAR (8.2) is far higher than Devers’ mark of 5.2.

New York Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu, who leads MLB in batting (.339) and ranks third in hits (156), is another strong candidate to win MVP. He has the same WAR as Devers and has been unquestionably the best player on the Yankees, who hold the top record (83-43) in baseball.

MLB All-Star Game 2019: Starters Selections

The starters for the 2019 All-Star Game will be selected on June 27 at 7 p.m. ET. Here are my selections for the Summer Classic, which takes place on July 9 in Cleveland, Ohio.

*Photos via MLB.com

American League Notes

Carlos Santana leads AL first basemen in OPS, OBS, slugging, hits (82), walks (57) and Wins Above Replacement (2.8). He ranks second in HRs (18) and batting (.290).

Tommy La Stella has 16 home runs this season (most among AL 2B) after hitting just 10 homers over the first 900 plate appearances of his career.

Jorge Polanco leads AL SS in batting (.321), hits (99) and WAR (3.8).

Mike Trout ranks first in the American League in WAR (5.2). 

Gary Sanchez has smashed 23 home runs, second overall in the American League and easily the most among AL catchers.

National League Notes

Josh Bell leads MLB in RBIs (68) and ranks first among NL first basemen in slugging and OPS.

Ketel Marte leads the NL in hits (100). He is batting .316 with 20 home runs and 51 RBIs.

Cody Bellinger (MLB-high .354 batting average with 26 HRs and 63 RBIs) and Christian Yelich (.332 batting average with an MLB-best 29 HRs and 63 RBIs) have been the two best players in baseball through the first three months of the season.