Boston Red Sox star third baseman Rafael Devers is just 27 years old. Even though he is still very young, especially by baseball standards, he is in his eighth season of Major League Baseball and is one of the veterans on a young and inexperienced Red Sox team.
Devers was asked about being a veteran in the Red Sox clubhouse in an interview with ESPN's MLB insider Jeff Passan.
Sat down with Boston Red Sox star Rafael Devers and talked about growing up at Fenway Park, how it feels to be the "old" man in the clubhouse and why Bobby Witt Jr. is his favorite player to watch these days.
“I think the time has gone really fast, really fast,” Devers said. “But thanks to God, he allowed me to play eight seasons, and I want to keep playing more. Sometimes, they call me a veteran… I feel offended and said, ‘No, I am still too young to be called a veteran. I am only 27 years old; I am still young.'
Passan then followed up, asking Devers if anyone has called him “old man.”
“Rafaela, Rafaela,” Devers said while laughing. “He always says to me, ‘you are old.' What do you mean old?”
Ceddanne Rafaela, the Red Sox's 23-year-old rookie phenom is clearly joking with Devers, but it is still great to see that type of camaraderie between teammates. Even though Devers may not like being considered “old” or a “veteran,” it seems like he is still stepping up into a leadership role.
Devers is not only one of the more experienced players on this young team featuring Rafaeala, Wilyer Abreu and David Hamitlon, who are all rookies, and Triston Casas, who is in his second full season, but he is the only player remaining on the Red Sox from their World Series winning team in 2018.
Rafael Devers' 2024 season
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Devers is currently having one of, if not the best seasons of his career. He is slashing .293/.579/.952 with 28 home runs and 80 RBI. Earlier in the year, Devers homered in six straight games, setting a Red Sox record. The Red Sox had very low expectations heading into 2024, and partially because of Devers are still in the thick of the American League Wild Card race, just 4 1/2 games back of the Minnesota Twins and the Kansas City Royals for the final spot.
With the Red Sox having one of the top young cores in baseball and another batch of top prospects on their way to the Major Leagues, it is even more important that Devers continues in his role as the face of the franchise and as a leader in the clubhouse. Based on his conversation with Passan, it looks like he's ready, even if he is doing so a little bit begrudgingly.
