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.

Rafaela put up impressive offensive numbers in 2022 that oversold his realistic MLB upside, but his center field defense is so good that he should have no problem carving out a big-league career. He doesn't hit the ball very hard and is prone to chasing, but Rafaela still managed a .301/.342/.540 slash line despite an ugly 4.8 BB%. Thankfully, he has plus speed to go with his plus-plus defense, so the 28-for-35 success rate on the bases could translate as he continues to climb. If he can just hit .230 or .240, Rafaela could be allowed to play every day in center field while hitting at the bottom of the order and chipping in 10-to-20 home runs with 20-plus steals. He is on the 40-man roster but may not debut until 2024.