Ceddanne Rafaela looked like more than a top prospect in the Spring Breakout game Saturday between the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves.
He looked like a major leaguer.
In one of 16 top-prospect showcases taking place this weekend, Rafaela went 1 for 2 with a towering three-run homer – his fourth round-tripper of the preseason, though it won’t count toward his spring training stats. He also made an outstanding play in center field that he turned into a double play as Boston’s top prospects won the seven-inning game, 7-2.
Rafaela, a Curaçao native, is still technically a rookie, and a top-100 MLB prospect in rankings by Baseball America (No. 94), MLB Pipeline (No. 76), and Baseball Prospectus (No. 59). He has spent the spring proving he’s ready to graduate from such lists. His energy is that of someone who’s aged out of that stage of his career, not unlike a college student who goes to visit his old high school, only to realize that he’s outgrown that version of himself and needs to continue moving onward and upward.
It was somewhat surprising when the Red Sox elected to keep Rafaela in Double-A Portland to begin the 2023 season, as evaluators in and outside of the organization already viewed him as a big-league-caliber defender in center field with legitimate Gold Glove potential. Plate discipline was a key factor in not rushing the 23-year-old’s development. The Sox wanted to see more patience and pitch selectiveness; they decided that he shouldn’t be asked to balance honing such crucial elements and adjusting to Triple-A simultaneously, a source told the Boston Herald last March.
By June 29, Rafaela was playing in his first Triple-A game. On Aug. 28, he made his major league debut.
That was no guarantee he’d start the upcoming season in the majors, though. In 28 big-league games last year, he hit .241 with 20 hits, six doubles, and a pair of home runs, but struck out 28 times and only drew four walks. It’s a small sample size, especially for a rookie joining a team in chaos, but it suggested Rafaela wasn’t quite ready. At the very least, he’d need to fight hard this spring to prove otherwise.
Portland Sea Dogs Manager Chad Epperson believes Rafaela has accelerated his timeline with his performance this spring.
“His swing decisions are better,” Epperson said during Saturday’s broadcast. “Every time I look up, he’s got a hit… You can tell, he looks very comfortable at the plate right now.”
There are still areas in need of improvement. Epperson noted that Rafaela’s timing against fastballs is a bit late, but as that’s partially due to trying to be more patient in his at-bats, he’s confident Rafaela will balance the two.
“He’s a smart kid, he’ll figure it out, and he wants to compete,” he said.
• Several other members of the 2023 Sea Dogs contributed to Boston’s win in the Spring Breakout game. Top pitching prospect Wikelman Gonzalez started and worked three hitless innings, though he did walk three batters. Catcher Kyle Teel and second baseman Nick Yorke both were 2 for 2 with an RBI.
• Bobby Dalbec and Wilyer Abreu each homered for the second time this spring, but the Baltimore Orioles scored two runs in the ninth inning for a 5-4 victory over the Red Sox in Sarasota, Florida.
Cooper Criswell, trying to earn a place in Boston’s starting rotation, allowed four hits and two runs in four innings. He struck out three and walked one.
CHASE MEIDROTH couldn’t handle a hard-hit ground ball ripped to third base during Saturday’s Spring Breakout game but top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer was there to back him up.
Braves prospect Luis Guanipa’s smash ricocheted off Meidroth’s glove but Mayer caught the deflection and fired a strong throw to first base for the 5-6-3 putout.
“Yeah, that’s funny,” Mayer said. “We’ve been practicing that play for like a month actually so it finally worked out for us.”
Mayer obviously was joking.
“Just right place, right time,” he admitted.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.