The man does enough for the Red Sox on the baseball field.
The first-ever “Fenway Fest,” the spiritual successor to the infamous Winter Weekend, took place on Saturday. Due to “scheduling conflicts,” Rafael Devers, among others, was scratched from the lineup of attendees. Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported on the cancellations and noted that Red Sox officials have privately “expressed a desire to push Devers to do more front-facing outreach”.
The first time Rafael Devers was scouted by the Red Sox, he was 14 years old. In Alex Speier’s book Homegrown: How The Red Sox Built A Champion from the Ground Up, he quotes Devers as saying ”The only thing I know how to do is play baseball”. He also famously sat at his locker for 40 minutes without speaking to the media after a frustrating run of games. He even had a hard time approaching more veteran players and fitting in with his teammates when he debuted.
Devers, of course, signed a 10-year, $313MM deal two years ago. Prior to signing the contract, the third baseman stepped to the plate over 2,300 times. At no point was he a vocal, inspirational member of the team. If John Henry is as concerned about his net worth as recent salary totals lead me to believe, he knew at least a little bit about Rafael Devers the human being. As Dan Secatore wrote yesterday, Rafael Devers was paid to entertain on the baseball field, not in the concourse.
Of course, if you sign a nine-figure deal, you’ll be looked at as a team leader whether you like it or not. Leadership isn’t just being the loudest, most available person in the room though, and I’m not sure the Red Sox front office understands that. It’s battling through injuries for months because it’s what is best for the team. It’s mentoring young players who are transitioning to the big leagues. It’s calling out the front office for not supporting the team. Leadership is also hosting an off-season training camp for your teammates. It’s traveling with the team and meeting cancer patients despite being out for the season.
My point is that being a leader doesn’t mean being the most visible. As a former team captain who tried to give the rah-rah inspirational speech, I know it’s not something you can fake. Gerrit Cole would probably agree with me. Connecting with those in the community is similar. Devers doesn’t feel comfortable talking to the media in his second language. Making public appearances and speaking candidly in English probably isn’t a strong suit of his either.
The Red Sox insist on pushing Devers to be someone who he’s not when they have exactly who they want him to be on the roster in Triston Casas. He’s young, charismatic, and can’t stay off the camera. In the last year alone he’s flirted with an elderly woman at a hospital, hijacked an ESPN broadcast, and messed with fans asking him to record a video. Triston Casas has already publically expressed his desire to remain in Boston. If the front office is so insistent on having a public-facing star on the roster, maybe they should extend Casas rather than pushing Devers to be someone he isn’t.