“He’s a freak,” a smiling Tanner Houck said.
He was describing Rafael Devers, who’d just become the first player in Red Sox history to homer in six consecutive games, during their three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays last week in Florida.
Freak is certainly one word for the 27-year-old slugger, who, since the start of 2019, leads all Major Leaguers in extra-base hits and is only two away from tying Jim Rice’s franchise record for the most extra-baggers by a Red Sox player before they turn 28 years old. (Devers’ birthday isn’t until Oct. 24.) During this homer streak, he’s overtaken Nomar Garciaparra for No. 12 on the club’s all-time home run list; he’s 12 round-trippers away from passing Jason Varitek.
So, Houck thinks Devers is a freak (in the best way). How would other members of the Red Sox describe him? The Herald asked several of them for the first word that comes to mind when they think of their superstar:
Andrew Bailey, pitching coach: “Comedy. I just, the personality he brings on a daily basis, nothing stresses him out. Kind of carefree, but competitive. He’s just funny, I just laugh. Everything he does is just funny to me.”
Brennan Bernardino, relief pitcher: “Caballo. Horse. In Spanish, calling somebody a horse is calling him just a dude, like he’s the man.”
Triston Casas, infielder: “Man, the best word that comes to mind, I don’t know if it’s the first one, is ‘Leader.’
“I try to be like him in a lot of ways, and hitting is like, one of the least of them. I love the way that he goes about his business and the way that he carries himself, the way that he handles all the adversity that he faces, is very admirable. I love the way that he goes about everything, and just to see him break that record was awesome. I was rooting for him the entire time. There was a lot of anticipation, and every day it built up. It was a big deal for me, to see him do that; I’m a big fan of his, of course, and getting to play beside him has been awesome.”
Garrett Cooper, infielder: “I would say ‘Freak,’ too. You don’t see too many guys with that kind of power and that kind of handy tools. You see a lot of young guys that have super tools, and Raffy’s got every tool in the book. That’s what you want in a cornerstone player. Just God-given ability. But if I can’t choose the same word (as Houck), the X-Factor?”
Alex Cora, manager: “Gifted. Let’s put it that way, gifted… Shoot, the way he’s hitting the ball, everybody talks about pull-side homers, like everybody wants, every organization wants guys to pull the ball in the air. That’s how the best offenses are working. But he’s not doing that. It’s straight-center, left-field. Just gifted.
“And he’s still young, he’s still learning. I still remember in ‘18, just a kid. Actually in ‘17, we saw him (in the ALDS), the inside-the-park homer, he crushed that ball. And we (the Astros) were trying so hard to get his attention and he just smiled.
“It’s a joy to manage him, because of all the emotions, and talking to himself. Even yesterday, he made an out and he was talking to himself there in Spanglish. It wasn’t only Spanish, it was Spanglish. It’s fun.”
Pete Fatse, hitting coach: “Outlier, man. He does things a lot of people can’t do, right? And a lot of people can try to emulate, but he has the ability to do a lot of things people cannot do. Outlier.”
Liam Hendriks, relief pitcher: “Unknown. From a pitcher’s point of view. He doesn’t have a normal scouting report, it all changes between games, between pitches, between at-bats. Not very often do you see a guy that can handle everything the way he does, in different spots, different locations, balls and bad pitches, good pitches, it’s really hard to pin down. The people that consistently are like, fastball guys or outside guys or inside guys, they’re easier to pitch to because you can go to the same spots every time and they’re not going to make the adjustment. He looks like he doesn’t make adjustments, but makes really apt adjustments.
(Before signing with the Red Sox during spring training, Hendriks had faced Devers six times. “He’s 0-for-6,” Hendriks said proudly.)
Zack Kelly, relief pitcher: “(Houck) used freak? Damn. There’s too many. Um, I’m just gonna say nasty, because that’ll cover it.”
Chris Martin, relief pitcher: “Raffy, hmm. Incredible. He’s just a fun player to watch. He goes up there every at-bat, you feel like something big can happen. Close game and Raffy comes up, there’s a good chance I’m gonna start warming up. That’s just the way it is with him. You always feel like he can hit a homer, do some damage. I’ve never been able to strike him out, it’s always a battle.”
Tyler O’Neill, outfielder: “It’s a tough one. Just a hitter. Just a pure hitter. It’s fun watching that guy, watching him work, watching him compete.”
Rob Refsnyder, outfielder: “Child? Yeah, freak. I don’t know. I mean, what’s another word for freak? He’s incredible. He hits balls that are below the strike zone for home runs. People don’t do that. It’s unbelievable. Incredible. That’s more than one word, but yeah.”
Greg Weissert, relief pitcher: “Hilarious. That’s my word for him. Every interaction I have with Raffy, he’s always smiles, and he’s always saying something hilarious, in English or Spanish.”
Jason Varitek, catching coach: “The Baby. He’s been up here since he was what, 19, 20 years old? He’s always ‘The Baby’ to me.”
(Upon hearing that Devers is 11 home runs away from tying him at No. 11 on the Red Sox home run list, Varitek laughed. “I have a feeling that’s not gonna be a feat he’s gonna have a hard time beating,” the longtime captain said. “Lot better hitter than I was. A guy like Raffy, he’ll beat that before the age I was when I got to the big leagues.”)
Postscript: When told that his “Freak” comment had inspired this piece, Houck said, “God touched Rafael Devers to do one thing, and that’s hit a baseball better than anyone else on this planet.”