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Post by thelavarnwayguy on Jun 1, 2014 12:07:02 GMT -5
I think it is just safer to have him start in the DSL. He's probably never been away from home much at all before. He probably has language issues. It's good to instill some confidence in him right from the start and he will be more receptive to instruction maybe if he seems himself having success with it. Lots of reasons for him staying close to home. Potential family involvement in his life...etc. That last part is hugely underated in my opinion. Lots of kids can go way off track if the family is not in touch regularly. He is so young and latino families are often hovering. Now please spare me the generalization comments and the stereotyping comments. I've lived in south america for a while and married someone from Ecuador. My kids were raised largely as latinos. The level of interactive involvement in the raising of my kids was off the charts compared to how I grew up. I was largely thrown to the wolves. Latino families are usually Catholic and the family is paramount. I think especially with very young latino kids it is almost always best to have the family close by.
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Post by grandsalami on Jun 2, 2014 11:36:25 GMT -5
The next Red Sox slugging prospect? Rafael Devers made memorable mark in pro debut t.co/OK1qogp9IN via @weei Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Jun 2, 2014 13:17:07 GMT -5
I think it is just safer to have him start in the DSL. He's probably never been away from home much at all before. He probably has language issues. It's good to instill some confidence in him right from the start and he will be more receptive to instruction maybe if he seems himself having success with it. Lots of reasons for him staying close to home. Potential family involvement in his life...etc. That last part is hugely underated in my opinion. Lots of kids can go way off track if the family is not in touch regularly. He is so young and latino families are often hovering. Now please spare me the generalization comments and the stereotyping comments. I've lived in south america for a while and married someone from Ecuador. My kids were raised largely as latinos. The level of interactive involvement in the raising of my kids was off the charts compared to how I grew up. I was largely thrown to the wolves. Latino families are usually Catholic and the family is paramount. I think especially with very young latino kids it is almost always best to have the family close by. Not sure about most of this. He's already been in the U.S. for long stretches for Extended (beginning with ST and likely going through very recently) and Instructs, and he's going to be living at the Sox Academy, not at home. The Sox Academy is in Santo Domingo, which is a two-hour drive from Sanchez, where he is from. I honestly doubt his family will be in touch all that much more often with him playing in the DSL as in the GCL.
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Post by pedroelgrande on Jun 2, 2014 13:39:44 GMT -5
If people want reasons for his DSL appointment then the article above may have some:
“We have to control his aggression and control his energy so he stays within himself so he can be more consistent with the barrel, make contact. … He’s a guy that’s really got to learn to be selective more often and get his pitch,” Hyers added. “[But] if he gets his pitch, he has a chance to hit it hard. He’s a fun guy to work with.”
Hyres is a hitting coordinator for the Red Sox.
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Post by jimed14 on Jun 7, 2014 8:52:57 GMT -5
.478/.567/.826 5BB/5K in 6 games so far. I don't expect he has much to learn in the DSL.
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Post by thelavarnwayguy on Jun 7, 2014 12:43:06 GMT -5
I stand by everything I said in my last post and if anything I think his initial performance so far just reinforces my point. He is at least close to his family, speaking spanish, able to visit home or have family nearby and with his signing bonus they can be nearby. This initial start will give him huge confidence and help him see that listening to the coaching staff can really help him. I'm sure the parental involvement will only reinforce that. The kid is only around 17 isn't he. Let's phase him into adulthood. A special talent in his early years can go wrong a lot faster than a 22 year old, especially in another culture, away from home, in another language, not even used to doing his own laundry let alone anything else. I'm sure the academy has a comprehensive program to help these guys adjust. Let's use it.
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Post by rjp313jr on Jun 9, 2014 8:12:21 GMT -5
I stand by everything I said in my last post and if anything I think his initial performance so far just reinforces my point. He is at least close to his family, speaking spanish, able to visit home or have family nearby and with his signing bonus they can be nearby. This initial start will give him huge confidence and help him see that listening to the coaching staff can really help him. I'm sure the parental involvement will only reinforce that. The kid is only around 17 isn't he. Let's phase him into adulthood. A special talent in his early years can go wrong a lot faster than a 22 year old, especially in another culture, away from home, in another language, not even used to doing his own laundry let alone anything else. I'm sure the academy has a comprehensive program to help these guys adjust. Let's use it. So you do this a lot, make up a complete narrative with little basis in reality other than it loosely fits some ideas or facts. I do agree that there is a big difference between being in the Dominican vs Florida with regards to closeness to his family is concerned. Chris isn't completely off but the "comfort" of knowing ones family is a car drive away is a lot different than planes and passports away. However, you can probably bring up your points without making up an entire narrative and getting behind them like its factual. The Gulf coast league starts soon, but it hasn't yet so it makes sense to get him going in games. He's not stuck in the Dominican. Plus, how much more advanced is one versus the other?
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Post by fenwaythehardway on Jun 9, 2014 8:51:49 GMT -5
However, you can probably bring up your points without making up an entire narrative and getting behind them like its factual. Forget it, he's rolling.
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steveofbradenton
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Watching Spring Training, the FCL, and the Florida State League
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Post by steveofbradenton on Jun 9, 2014 11:36:03 GMT -5
As Chris Hatfield stated, Devers has already spent a fair amount of time in the States. For me, the faster he acclimates to this country and culture....the faster his success. I look at the language part somewhat different. Being in Fort Myers will insure he picks up English faster and getting used to our fast food (cuisine). The times I saw him last year, he was already very comfortable with his teammates. He was being ragged on and he was doing some of it right back. This kid could come fast. In 3 or 4 years, he could be knocking on the door. I'd like him to get used to this country as quick as possible, and I think he has the personality to fit in and thrive. Of course I have an agenda here....I want him playing in the GCL....but I do think his development would be better served eating Whoppers and Big Macs.
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cdj
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Post by cdj on Jun 9, 2014 13:23:31 GMT -5
Yeah so this guy can swing the bat a bit, huh?
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Post by garnotte12 on Jun 9, 2014 17:46:28 GMT -5
One major factor is that GCL has dorm housing whereas no other team does. The odds that he possesses the ability to live on his own from day one is small. Multilingual backgrounds are rare, Xander was the exception, not the rule. My understanding is that the Lowell players stay in the UMass Lowell dorms. I'm not sure of the housing situation in the GCL. GCL stays at the Crown Plaza Hotel all season.
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jimoh
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Post by jimoh on Jun 13, 2014 5:31:54 GMT -5
Peter Gammons ?@pgammo 15m Note to my friend Ryan Hathaway:17 yr. old 3B Rafael Devers taking .442/.537/.814 to Gulf Coast League.
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Post by borisman on Jun 13, 2014 5:49:38 GMT -5
Peter Gammons ?@pgammo 15m Note to my friend Ryan Hathaway:17 yr. old 3B Rafael Devers taking .442/.537/.814 to Gulf Coast League. And then to Lowell by the middle of July (j/k). That is a sick line, I don't care where you play. 3 bombs to boot. I'm just glad this kid is living up to the hype so far.
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Post by burythehammer on Jun 13, 2014 5:54:11 GMT -5
I'm guessing Gammons wouldn't tweet that unless someone actually told him it was going to happen.
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Post by sarasoxer on Jun 13, 2014 6:39:49 GMT -5
The Dominican League is fielding 36 teams (2 each by Yanks, Mets, Rangers and Orioles). After 11 games, Devers is third in BA, and leads in Slugging and OPS. The Sox have the fifth highest team average (.279) and are ranked 6th in team pitching. The record is 7-4. The Yankees' two teams are both 8-3 and are also well-represented statistically.
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Jun 13, 2014 8:31:39 GMT -5
I'm guessing Gammons wouldn't tweet that unless someone actually told him it was going to happen. Ehhhhhhh. Gammo on Twitter is always a wild card. It definitely merits watching though.
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Post by philsbosoxfan on Jun 13, 2014 11:38:54 GMT -5
Team Photo Prospect hotsheet BA (Ranaudo also made the list): Rafael Devers, 3b, Red Sox: If you’re looking for pro stats with the least predictive value, the Dominican Summer League would fit the bill. However, when one of the top prospects in last year’s July 2 international signing class goes 19-for-43 (.442) with three triples and three home runs in his first 11 games, you notice. Home runs are rare in the DSL. Right now Devers, 17, has outhomered 23 DSL teams. www.baseballamerica.com/minors/prospect-hot-sheet-june-13/
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Post by burythehammer on Jun 13, 2014 15:57:36 GMT -5
I'm assuming one of the reasons DSL stats are not predictive is because of how bad the defense apparently is throughout the league. Lots of should-be outs made into hits and singles made into doubles, doubles into triples etc (which probably accounts for the slow-footed Devers already having three)
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Post by oilcansman on Jun 13, 2014 16:48:46 GMT -5
People here have lost sight of the fact that Devers is a 17 year old kid literally seven promotions from the big leagues. He's really a senior in high school playing in a league that ordinarily is a complete after thought. If Devers makes it, and there's really no reason to think he will at this point, he's likely at least 5 years away - when he's 22 years old in 2019. If all goes well, we'll see him in Portland in 2017.
The nice part of about the DSL and GCL is there's very little public scrutiny and prospects are allowed to develop on and off the field in relative anonymity. It seems to me Devers should get that benefit. I really hope he makes it, but I worry about the silly hype machine that is already starting. The hype will in no way assist him.
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Post by jimed14 on Jun 13, 2014 16:52:07 GMT -5
People here have lost sight of the fact that Devers is a 17 year old kid literally seven promotions from the big leagues. He's really a senior in high school playing in a league that ordinarily is a complete after thought. If Devers makes it, and there's really no reason to think he will at this point, he's likely at least 5 years away - when he's 22 years old in 2019. If all goes well, we'll see him in Portland in 2017. The nice part of about the DSL and GCL is there's very little public scrutiny and prospects are allowed to develop on and off the field in relative anonymity. It seems to me Devers should get that benefit. I really hope he makes it, but I worry about the silly hype machine that is already starting. The hype will in no way assist him. I don't think many people are saying he should be in Lowell. But the GCL is a pretty reasonable request.
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Post by okin15 on Jun 13, 2014 17:12:45 GMT -5
Some people are saying it, and it's silly. GCL is absolutely where he ought to be, and soon. Time to make it six promotions away!
As for Slow-footed, I think Devers is at least average right now. Of course he's 17, and he's likely to get slower as he ages (and presumable gets bigger).
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Post by greatscottcooper on Jun 13, 2014 17:47:43 GMT -5
Here's the thing, we are all prospect homers to some extent and like to dream on what Devers COULD be. Even if he was some kind of phenom, he'd likely still be 3-4 years away....and that's if he's a phenom. He could still be a very good player and be 6-7 years away. But no matter how unlikely, how much the odds are stacked up against him, the tools and the homer in all of us have something to dream about in Devers.....I can't argue against them promoting him, but there really isn't anything wrong about them keeping him in the DSL all season either. He's very young.
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Post by thegoodthebadthesox on Jun 13, 2014 18:01:47 GMT -5
I'm assuming one of the reasons DSL stats are not predictive is because of how bad the defense apparently is throughout the league. Lots of should-be outs made into hits and singles made into doubles, doubles into triples etc (which probably accounts for the slow-footed Devers already having three) This is why his three homers should be taken with a grain of salt, we never know if an outfielder pulled a Canseco.
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Post by jdb on Jun 13, 2014 18:43:10 GMT -5
Could we be looking at a similar first season as Miguel Sano? Looks like he had about 20 games in the DSL before moving to the GCL. Just how Sano was promoted that first year not saying he's going to be the top power prospect in baseball in two years. www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=sano--001mig
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Post by philsbosoxfan on Jun 13, 2014 23:29:43 GMT -5
I'm assuming one of the reasons DSL stats are not predictive is because of how bad the defense apparently is throughout the league. Lots of should-be outs made into hits and singles made into doubles, doubles into triples etc (which probably accounts for the slow-footed Devers already having three) This is why his three homers should be taken with a grain of salt, we never know if an outfielder pulled a Canseco. That'd be my guess, the odds are pretty high that at least two of those bounced off somebody's head, maybe all three. The balls were also probably just 285' or so and they bounced the other 100.
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