The Rafael Devers All Star Snub Looks Worse By The Day

Since the All Star starters were announced, Rafael Devers is hitting .458 with a 1.577 OPS. Devers was not named as one of them. Perhaps the two are related. I can live with that, though. Alex Bregman is having a better season than Devers, ever so marginally.

What I can’t live with, however, is Devers not making the team as a reserve. Why’s that? Well, you could make the case that he’s having the best season of any third baseman in the American League, depending on which stats you value the most. Like I said, I’d still give the nod to Bregman. But Devers is right there. The 13-year-old leads all American League third basemen in batting average (.331), slugging percentage (.561), and weighted on-base average (.393). His .385 on-base percentage is second to Bregman (.391), his 144 wRC+ is second to Bregman (148), and his 3.5 fWAR is right up the ass of Bregman and Matt Chapman’s position-leading 3.6 fWAR.

On Friday night, Devers homered for the fourth time in his last four games. The only game that the Red Sox lost in those four games was the one that Devers didn’t homer in. In fact, the Red Sox are 11-4 in the games that Devers has homered in this season. Devers has played in all 47 of the Red Sox’ wins this season and has an 1.106 OPS in those games compared to a .733 OPS in the 38 games he’s played in that they’ve lost.

While Devers leads the team in batting average and OPS overall, he also leads the team in batting average (.347) and OPS (.909) with men on base. In many ways, Devers has been the MVP of the Red Sox in the first half, not that the team’s first half is anything to celebrate. Still, his season deserves the acknowledgement of an All Star nod. He’s been one of the best in the game at any position, never mind just his own.