If there has been a bright spot for the Boston Red Sox this season, it has been rookie Ceddanne Rafaela who has shown to be an exciting player and could develop into a foundation piece for the club. He made headlines Friday night as he had a great game against the Detroit Tigers where he hit two home runs leading to the 7-3 victory for Boston.
However, Rafaela has had to change his technique a little bit in his batting stance where he usually would hold his hands up high on the bat which when facing big league pitching, it could be an insurmountable feat to be successful. Rafaela spoke after Friday night's win to the media about the importance of making adjustments, especially at the level he is currently playing at according to Sean McAdam of MassLive.com
“I’ve been (lowering my hands) in the cage,” Rafaela said. “And when I was 100 percent (confident), I did it in the game. I think at this level, you have to make adjustments. As a player, you know when it’s time to make adjustments. And when you see that your adjustments are working out, you feel (more) confident.”
Alex Cora talks about the adjustments made by Rafaela with Red Sox
So far, it has seemed to work as in the past 10 games before the two home run game against the Tigers, he was hitting .265 where overall on the season, he is at a .211 batting average. Red Sox manager Alex Cora also spoke after the contest to the media about the technique change for Rafaela and said he has noticed the change of “his hands” as they “are creeping down and down.”
“In this era,” Cora said, “not many (hitters) can do it – the big moves the high leg kicks — because of the (quality of the) stuff on the mound. Little by little, his hands are creeping down and down, getting more quiet.”
“But obviously, there are (necessary) adjustments,” Cora continued. “Last year, Jarren (Duran) with his hands, this year (Triston) Casas with his elbow…This year, it’s (Rafaela) with the hands. He knows. He studies the game and he sees other guys and where they’re at and how they perform. Hopefully, we get into the spot that we’re looking for and it should be fun…We’ve been talking about it for a while, but It’s not that easy to go from one spot to the other. He understands. He knows what we want him to do and he knows that he needs to do it. It’s a comfort level and little by little, he’s getting there.”
Rafaela still with struggles despite two home-run game
However, despite the fantastic game Friday, the outing started with him getting out on four pitches where two pitches were not close to the zone, but he swung anyways. Per MassLive, he is at a 26.1 percent strikeout rate which is definitely concerning, but almost expected since not only is he a rookie getting adapted to pitching in the majors, but also getting used to the new way of approaching to hit the ball.
“He was very upset,” Cora said after the first at-bat for Rafaela where he was out in four pitches. “But after that, he was able to get locked in.”
The phrase “locked in” is an understatement to how Rafaela would end up playing for the rest of the night as in the two aforementioned home runs, he drove in five runs batted in (RBIs). The 23-year old is at seven dingers on the season which is tied for second among all rookies in the majors with Baltimore Orioles' Colton Cowser as they are behind Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch who has eight.
Rafaela running away with opportunities given in Boston
As it was displayed Friday night, Rafaela had a bunch of chances with runners on base which has been prevalent throughout the season. Even better, he is making the most of the opportunities given as he not only leads the Red Sox in at-bats with runners on base, but his 33 RBIs are first among rookies in the American League and the entire MLB.
“He’s getting the opportunities but you still have to drive them in,” Cora said. “He done a good job. It seems like he’s more locked in. He’s not out of control.”
There is no doubt that Boston welcomes any type of boost on offense since they are dealing with injuries to the likes of Trevor Story, Tristin Casas, Tyler O'Neill, and Masataka Yoshida who are all on the injured list. Even more interesting, Rafaela is at the ninth spot in the batting lineup, but he would stress that it does not matter where in the order he is.
“It’s not really (important) where you hit in the lineup,” Rafaela said. “It’s only the first inning. As the games goes on, it’s different. I’m just happy to see my name in the lineup and I give 100 percent every day.”
Tanner Houck with another great outing for Red Sox
In terms of the game itself, the Red Sox got the win also with the help of starting pitcher Tanner Houck who threw seven innings, struck out six, allowing only one earned run. Cora would say that in terms of every outing, he “gives us a chance to win” and that the manager hopes “people start paying attention to what's going on” per ESPN.
“He’s one of the best pitchers in the big leagues,” Cora said. “Every outing he’s giving us a chance to win. I hope people start paying attention to what’s going on. It’s been fun to watch from our end and it feels like every outing it’s like let’s see what’s going to happen tonight in a good way.”
Houck takes a pitcher's perspective, praises Rafaela
Houck would even touch after the game about Rafaela and what he has seen from him from a pitcher's point of view. He would tout the talent the rookie has saying that he is “excited to see where he can be one day.”
“This is a hard game and it’s even harder at a young age,” Houck said about Rafaela. “He’s 23 years old in the big leagues. You see the talent and you know it’s there and all you can do is keep pushing him in the right direction and just trust that the talent’s going to pay off. For him to have a game like tonight’s, it’s great. I’m sure it’s a huge confidence boost for him. He’s a good player and I’m excited to see where he can be one day.”
In any sense, the Red Sox are 29-29 on the season which puts them third in the AL East behind the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles. They are in the midst of a four-game series against the Tigers where the third contest will take place Saturday at 4:10 p.m. (EST).
