Ceddanne Rafaela has turned a strong season into an All-Star argument, and the Boston Red Sox outfielder isn’t pretending otherwise.
Boston may not have the best record, but Rafaela has been one of the bright spots. His defense has long been elite, yet the bigger story this year is what he’s doing at the plate. He’s hitting .281/.331/.722 with seven home runs, a sharp jump from the .24/.284/.401 career slash line he carried into the season.
That kind of production has put him in the All-Star conversation, and Rafaela made clear what a selection would mean to him.
“Of course every player wants to be an All-Star but those are things that we don’t control,” Rafaela said, per MassLive's Christopher Smith. “It would be an honor for me and my family to be there.”
Rafaela said his offensive rise has come from getting more comfortable in Fenway Park and in Boston overall. He described the ballpark as his “happy place” and said he’s genuinely enjoying the daily routine now.
"I think I’ve learned to make this my happy place this year,” Rafaela said. “I’m really enjoying coming to the ballpark.
Yeah, man. I’ve learned a lot this year.
Besides baseball, I had to grow and learn a lot and make this my happy place.”
The numbers back up the leap. Rafaela ranks behind only Byron Buxton in fWAR and has emerged as one of the American League’s best outfielders this season.
The glove has always been there. Now that the bat is catching up, more people are noticing just how complete his game has become.
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