Ceddanne Rafaela

Rafaela is such a good athlete that he is a plus defensive center fielder who can also hold his own at shortstop and second base. He stole 39 bases in 136 games across Double-A, Triple-A and the majors and used his elite bat speed to launch 22 home runs in his age-22 season, despite a 5-foot-9 frame. His .319/.373/.579 slash line with a 20.2 K% and 5.9 BB% over his final 82 games in the minors last season earned him his first call to the majors. From a raw tools standpoint, he's a clear big leaguer. However, his hit tool needs refinement. He had a 38.8 Chase% and a 72.1 Contact%, leading to a 31.5 K% and 4.5 BB% in the majors. Working the count will never be Rafaela's strength, but he could eventually follow a path similar to Tim Anderson or Michael Harris, where he's not walking much but is doing enough damage and making enough contact to still be an above-average hitter. It's not clear how quickly that part of his game will advance from here, but his defensive chops will make him a priority addition to the big-league lineup once Boston thinks his bat is ready. Read Past Outlooks