Red Sox Vets Gush Over Ceddanne Rafaela
The Red Sox have their right fielder of the future. It’s just a matter of when it actually happens. Ceddanne Rafaela is tearing the cover off the ball in the minors and a lot of members of the Red Sox organization are really pumping his tires.
A large handful of members of the organization had serious praise for the Sox farmhand.
Reese McGuire
“When I was catching in one of those games, there were multiple balls that were hit to deep center field where off the bat, I was like, ‘Oh, this is trouble,’” McGuire said. “And he honestly got to that location really fast and almost was just coasting to the ball by the end of it. He made plays look really easy. So he’s a load of talent and definitely a superstar in the making, I think. He’s very exciting.”
John Schreiber
“The few games I was there, defensively he’s the real deal in the outfield. He’s quick as hell out there,” said Red Sox reliever John Schreiber who saw Rafaela play while making four rehab appearances for the WooSox in July. “And obviously you guys can see, he’s been hitting the ball very well. I think he’s going to be a great player the older he gets and the more he learns.”
Nick Robertson
“You see a guy like him and you’re not expecting a lot of power just by appearance but then he gets to the plate and it kind of resembles Mookie (Betts): smaller guy with a lot of juice,”
Trevor Story
“He’s a special talent,” Story said. “He’s a game-changer. He causes havoc on the base paths. Super fast. Super athletic. He brings that to all aspects of his game. Defense is amazing. I was just really impressed with the way he handles himself, too. You can tell he has a lot of thump in his bat. He’s got like a quiet confidence about himself. That’s something that’s going to go a long way for him.”
Ben Crockett
"He's a great kid. He really has bought in from the get-go on what those goals are."
— NESN (@NESN) August 8, 2023
Red Sox VP of Player Development, Ben Crockett, on Ceddanne Rafaela's seamless jump from AA to AAA this season. @TomCaron | @RedSoxPlayerDev | #RedSox pic.twitter.com/jwLZKeIsD7
“Really, I think more than not skipping a beat, taking a step forward from what he was doing in Double-A,” Red Sox senior vice president of baseball operations Ben Crockett told NESN’s Tom Caron on Tuesday, per the network. “It really has been impressive. Obviously, on an incredible streak, right. Something that you just don’t see at all, and credit to him. He’s such a great athlete. We all know about the defense, the versatility, the contact ability. And I think what he’s shown with power of late as well as some of the swing decisions of recent has been great to see and things he will continue to work on.”
The Red Sox have their outfield for 2024. It’s Yoshida, Duran, and Rafaela with other young studs still waiting in the wings in the lower levels of the minors. It feels like only a matter of time before the team parts with Alex Verdugo.
In 32 games with AAA Worcester, Rafaela is currently sporting a batting line of .321/.370/.672 with 11 homers. Rafaela also has 30 steals in AA this year. He’s regarded as the second best prospect in the system behind shortstop Marcelo Mayer.
