Rafaela makes first Red Sox Opening Day roster
A standout spring has earned Ceddanne Rafaela a spot on the Red Sox Opening Day roster for the first time in his burgeoning career.
“He’s very dynamic, athletic, versatile, he’s a good kid, too,” Alex Cora lauded when making the announcement to reporters on Saturday afternoon.
Rafaela has long been considered a future perennial Gold Glove outfielder, but the Sox wanted his bat to somewhat catch up with his stellar defense. The 23-yearold’s improved plate discipline has been on display throughout spring training; he entered Saturday 14-for51 (.275) with a .896 OPS, six doubles, three home runs (not including the one he hit in last weekend’s Spring Breakout exhibition game), seven runs scored, and eight driven in. Only the White Sox’s Nicky Lopez and Orioles’ Coby Mayo have doubled more this spring. Rafaela is also 2-for-3 in stolen base attempts, has drawn four walks, and struck out 12 times.
Currently ranked the organization’s No. 4 prospect by MLB Pipeline, Rafaela debuted last Aug. 28. The Curaçao native spent most of his big-league time playing center, as well as limited time at shortstop and second base ( he was primarily a third baseman and shortstop early in his minor league career). Though he’s spent most of the spring in the outfield — and Cora previously said that if he made the team out of camp, it would be as their centerfielder — he also played second earlier in the week.
Jarren Duran has also officially made his first Opening Day roster, though that was to be expected after Cora named him their leadoff man the week before the first full-squad workout.
Bello strong in start
In his final spring training start, Brayan Bello looked ready for the real thing.
Armed with what the Pirates broadcast described as “an absolute voodoo sinker,” the Red Sox right-hander pitched 5 1/3 innings. In his last turn before his first career Opening Day start, he allowed one earned run, walked three, and struck out seven. He threw 91 pitches, 56 for strikes (61.5%) and induced five groundouts.
It was Bello’s third consecutive outing of at least five innings, something he did more than any other Sox pitcher last season. In his first full season in the Majors, he went five or more in 21 of 28 starts; Tanner Houck was second on the roster with 15.
Though Bello didn’t pitch a single clean inning — he allowed at least one hit or walk in each frame — he was able to work around them through five frames. The 24-year- old righty got himself into a bigger jam in the bottom of the sixth, when he gave up back-to-back singles before recording an out, and his day was done one batter later, when he issued a walk
to load the bases. One run scored on a sacrifice fly, but Greg Weissert was able to mitigate further damage.
Isaiah Campbell, whom the Red Sox acquired from the Mariners in November, looks ready for Opening Day as well. The 26-year- old righty, who happens to be the first player born in Portugal in modern MLB history, has yet to allow a run
this spring. (Frank Thompson played for the Washington Nationals and Brooklyn Atlantics during the National Association’s 1875 season.) Campbell opened his ninth appearance of the preseason with back-to-back strikeouts of Oneil Cruz and Andrew Mccutchen, then completed the 1-2-3 seventh by getting Ke’bryan Hayes to fly out.
With several big-league starters slated for Saturday evening’s contest with the Minnesota Twins, Bello was backed up by some of the organization’s top prospects. Marcelo Mayer, Boston’s No. 1 prospect, started at shortstop and showed off his range with a spinning throw to first for an out. No. 2 prospect Roman Anthony manned centerfield. The Pi
rates broadcast kept calling “Anthony Roman.”
It was a quiet day at the plate for Boston, who fell to the Pirates 4-1, and were outhit by the home team 7-5. They did, however, collect a combined eight walks. Alex Cora noted to reporters that three of the free passes belonged to Bobby Dalbec, who is in the running to claim a bench spot on the roster.