I might have found a star of the future or at least someone for you seamheads to follow closely,especially if you play fantasy baseball in futures league as in the Greenville Drive's only stop in Hagerstown for the season,third baseman Rafael Devers has exploded with the type of bat speed that I haven't seen in the SAL in the last few seasons.
And best of all? Devers doesn't turn 19 until the season is over!
I first looked at Devers over the winter when in my fantasy league,I wanted to take a lower level player in the final round of my minor league draft.
Devers bio and impressive numbers in the Gulf Coast League at age 17 against recently drafted players made me take notice and draft him and I am glad that I did.
Devers is hitting well over .300 and crushed two homers against the Suns yesterday in a five for six outing that could have been six for six as he smashed a bullet right at shortstop David Masters on the only occasion that he was out on the day.
The first homer was was impressive as I bet it was well over 400 feet and hit to left center (Muni fans know the ball does not carry well to left or left center) and therefore had to be pounded to leave the park period,but it was the second that really showed me something.
Devers pulled a ball on the outside half of the plate (Devers is a lefthanded hitter) and jerked it on a line into the Greenville bullpen.
For an 18 year old to do that to that type of pitch shows a incredible amount of strength and bat speed,no matter who you are hitting off of (we will leave the state of Hagerstown relief pitching for another day).
I see a lot of touted prospects come through Hagerstown and Frederick and a lot of them eventually find their level somewhere along the line,with many falling short of the bigs.
It is not common place to see a player that is highly thought of to make you snap your head and take notice like yesterday.
I have yet to see Yoan Moncada play after his large contract with Boston,but his bat will have to go quite a ways to match the impression that was made on me yesterday by Rafael Devers.
The only bad part about this?
The above card hasn't arrived in my mailbox yet and I'll have to wait (and therefore) battle the crowd for Devers to sign the latest top 100 card at Salem,either later this year or in 2016....
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