Photo by LM Otero / AP Photos
It has been an ugly start for the middle of the Red Sox‘s order, especially for Rafael Devers.
In the opening series against the Texas Ranger, Devers recorded a RECORD-BREAKING 12 strikeouts in four games with no hits.
As I type this, the Red Sox are playing the Orioles and Devers is 0-for-2 with a walk and two strikeouts. He is still hit-less this season, and is 0-for-18 with 14 strikeouts.
I can honestly say I have never seen or heard of a slump quite this bad from an elite hitter.
What’s wrong with him?
Photo by LM Otero / AP Photos
I think it’s a collection of things.
In my opinion, Devers looked noticeably out of shape coming into camp. And as his spring debut continued to get pushed back, it didn’t seem that he was trimming any fat.
The Bregman/third base drama also has to be weighing on his mind. Baseball, especially hitting, is so mental. If there is ANYTHING that’s weighing on Devers’ mind, it will likely affect his performance.
Let’s also not forget that Devers ended the year with a shoulder injury that effected his ablity to turn on inside pitched with velocity.
Well, that certainly seems to be playing a factor as well, considering that every at bat looks like he’s doing a Jackie Bradley Jr. impression with how late he is.
Another theory being floated around, which I don’t really subscribe to, is that the time off in-between innings as a new DH may be effecting him mentally as well, especially after bad at-bats.
Will he turn it around?
I can almost positively say he will. Now, it may not happen anytime soon. I could see a world where Devers finishes April with a sub-.200 batting average, but he is way too talented not to turn this around.
The weirdest part of it all is that he isn’t swinging at bad balls to hit, which is a typical symptom of a slumping hitter.
As a matter of fact, Devers has walked three times so far this season.
The offense is desperately missing his presence in the meat of the order. As the team continues to struggle with runners in scoring positions, we can only hope Devers turns things around as soon as possible.
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