BOSTON — Hold on. That’s what the Red Sox preach for people to exercise when it comes to Ceddanne Rafaela’s bat.
And the rookie, known for his top-notch defense at center and shortstop, proved Saturday that his offense is worth the wait.
He was there throughout the contest, in which the Red Sox beat the Cubs, 17-0, before a packed house of 35,169 at Fenway Park.
Rafaela, who entered the day with a .156 average, capped his breakout game (4-for-4, seven RBI) with a two-run double over the Green Beast that blistered 411 feet projected by Statcast with exit velocity equal to 105.4 mph in the seventh inning.
Will Rafaela’s big day continue?
“We’ll know tomorrow, right?” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. βThat’s the beauty of this game. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow. He had a good game in Pittsburgh [April 19]. He didn’t have a good game the next day [few] days. So we continue to work with him and give him structure, guidance and help. And like I said yesterday, we just have to be patient.”
Rafaela’s patience is what led to his shocking Saturday. He didn’t leave the strike zone.
βI think I was patient at the plate and waiting for the best pitch to hit,β Rafaela said. “I think going into the game and executing the plan, I think that’s why I saw those results.”
Talent was never the issue for Rafaela in his journey through the farm system or his short time with the Major League club. It’s always been about wavering decisions. This comes more naturally to some than to others.
For 23-year-old Rafaela, it is a work in progress. Boston is willing to trade some inconsistencies on offense with their elite defense on any given day.
“Just keep improving,” Cora said. βI’m not going to talk about numbers, all that. We just want it to improve, we know the good stuff and we know what it can do. But these are the big leagues, and it takes some time. There is a learning curve and we have to be patient.”
There’s that word again.
The Red Sox didn’t have to be patient with Rafaela’s glove and cannon arm.
He has already shown value to the team by making a seamless move to shortstop following Trevor Story’s season-ending left shoulder injury. He started the year as a center.
“I think she’s seamless, always,” Rafaela said. βI’m confident in short and I enjoy playing short. I’m proud of it. It’s a special position — especially here at Fenway — at shortstop.”
The nervous right-handed hitter from Curacao was also in the middle of his team’s six-run rally in the bottom of the fifth when he blasted a two-run triple off the Green Monster’s bases.
With the crowd still on its feet, Rafaela stole third base.
Earlier in the game, Rafaela smashed a 106.5 mph single off the wall.
And don’t overlook Rafaela’s one-plate appearance, in which she failed. With the game still tight in the fourth, he made a nice situational hit when he lined a sacrifice fly to right that gave Boston a 3-0 lead.
“Apparently, that swing is the swing that set me up for the rest of the day,” said Rafaela. βI think there, at that point, helping the team was huge for me. I love it. I think that’s professional, right there. I think it was a good AB, not for me, but for the team.”
Rafaela produced fastballs (exit velocity of 95 mph or more) in all five of his plate appearances.
βYou know it could pop at any moment. He’s super electric,β said Josh Winckowski, who pitched the first three innings of Boston’s combined shutout Saturday. βHe’s done a very, very good job at short. You have a lot of confidence with him behind you, and then he can go with the best of them.”