It’s Time To Let Devers Be Devers
To celebrate Red Sox ownership finally cutting loose Chaim Bloom, who presumably did not pitch Year Four of his tenure as a haphazard and failed scramble maybe for the third wild card slot and joining a historically bad Yankees team in the division basement, I’m once again returning to the matter of Rafael Devers.
I’ve said more than once that someone or something appears to have stopped Devers from self-regulating at the plate between pitches.
My most recent argument was that it’s making Devers inconsistent, but it’s getting hidden by broadcasters always seizing on any eruption of his innate talent as evidence that Devers is just fine. Speaking after the first of two losses to the Yankees on Tuesday, Devers himself doesn’t think he’s just fine.
I haven’t been very consistent. As a ballplayer, I know that those are good numbers that I have, but I know that I can give more and I know that that could have been a better season.
Broadcasters, of course, have spent the last couple of days being flummoxed at these remarks, fixating on particular numbers or on, indeed Devers’ innate talent which will find ways to out no matter what else is going on at any given moment.
(I also want here to reiterate my plea for some new stats reflecting contributions to wins. I’ve no suspicion either way of what Devers’ BWIN stats would look like, but I’d really love to see them.)
Devers, however, easily spots and publicly identifies the same issue that I’ve already flagged: he’s not consistent.
That inconsistency has an origin point.
It began with his dismal August last year, which happened right after he stopped his self-regulatory habit of openly talking himself through at-bats between each and every pitch.
For the love of God, will Devers and everyone around him please let him go back to being Rafael Devers. Let him self-regulate. I’d put money on him finding that elusive consistency.