The Boston Red Sox look like a different team from the one that dropped two games to the MLB-worst Chicago White Sox two weeks ago.
Fans were convinced that Boston needed to sweep Chicago to stay on track. They had two rough matchups against the NL-leading Phillies and MLB-best Yankees coming and some argued it would be the Red Sox's hardest stretch of the season.
But Boston's bats woke up at just the right moment. Red Sox who struggled in the early going of the season found themselves offensively. Players who were hot continued their streaks. They caused havoc on the base paths.
Everything went the Sox's way against their two toughest opponents of the year so far and they carried their momentum into a sweep of the division-rival Blue Jays. Boston has played its best baseball of the season recently — without Wilyer Abreu or Triston Casas — but these three players' performances shined above the rest.
Ceddanne Rafaela
The Red Sox signed a struggling Ceddanne Rafaela to an eight-year contract extension in April. Some fans were optimistic about his future, and others were told to be patient. Rafaela's recent stats show the player the front office expected him to be has arrived.
Red Sox fans have gotten used to Rafaela's excellent defense, and he continues to make outstanding plays in center field with unparalleled ease. The rookie's bat has finally caught up to his flashy defense to make him the total package.
Rafaela is batting .615/.643/.846 with a homer in his last seven games. He's had at least two hits in six of those seven outings. His batting average was below 2.00 on May 24, and he's since raised it to .251/.279/.408. Despite his average being on the low end for much of the season, most of Rafaela's hits come at precisely the right moment. He leads his squad with 41 RBI.
Rafaela has managed to turn his offense around and maintain a high level of defense while switching between center field and shortstop. His overall defensive skill and versatility have made him a staple of Boston's lineup and his recently accelerated offense could give him a late push into Rookie of the Year contention.
David Hamilton
David Hamilton's turnaround has been well-documented — the young infielder went from holding a place in the lineup out of necessity to a key element of the Sox's offense.
Hamilton set Boston's expectations high when he homered in his first game as Trevor Story's replacement at shortstop. A few games and an unfortunate number of errors later, Hamilton was moved to the bench to fine-tune his play.
It worked. Hamilton has been on a tear for the Red Sox and his offense has helped them through some tough series. He's batting .314/.340/.510 in his last 15 games, which includes games against the Yankees and Phillies with two of the three best pitching staffs in MLB.
Hamilton also burned the Yankees on the base paths. During Boston's series finale against New York on June 16, Hamilton contributed four of its nine steals to break a franchise record for stolen bags in a single game.
Jarren Duran
Clearly, speed has been a key asset for Boston in its recent series. Its three speed merchants have put on a show in June, but Jarren Duran has made noise all year.
Duran has started every single game for the Red Sox this season and he shows no signs of slowing down at the plate or on defense. He's slashing .355/.429/.548 in his last seven games, which has only elevated his quality season slash line to .277/.345/.468. Duran leads MLB in triples with 10 and he's tallied 19 stolen bags.
Duran's defense has been his biggest improvement of the season and he ranks among the AL's best outfielders. He's racked up six outs above average and eight defensive runs saved, the second-most of all outfielders in the AL.
Rafaela, Duran and Hamilton bat near each other in Alex Cora's lineup by design. The three are fast enough to score given any opportunity and their running game has recently revolutionized the Red Sox's style of play.
