Ceddanne Rafaela DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey writes that Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela will continue using an altered batting stance in 2025 in which he lowers his hands so that he's connected with his front leg with a small leg kick to help his timing at the plate. A new strength routine in the offseason also helped Rafaela add muscle to his 5-foot-9 frame. Most importantly, the Red Sox plan to keep the 24-year-old in center field as much as possible in 2025 after he made 72 starts in center, 71 starts at shortstop and four starts at second base in 2024. He had stretches of good offensive production in his rookie season, but Rafaela had a 46.6% chase rate, which was among the worst 1% in MLB. His 2.6% walk rate was also among the lowest 1% in the league. Rafaela is going to need to improve his plate discipline and make better contact to take the next step as a hitter.

Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said that the plan is to keep infielder/outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela in center field in 2025 "as much as possible." Rafaela really stepped up for the Red Sox in 2024 and provided plenty of defensive versatility, mainly in center field and shortstop. The 24-year-old started 72 games in center field, 71 at shortstop and four at second base in his first full season in the big leagues. His elite athleticism allows him to play pretty much anywhere on the diamond, but the BoSox would like to keep him focused on center field this year to hopefully make him more productive offensively. There was a need for Rafaela at the 6 in 2024 when Trevor Story was injured earlier in the year. Rafaela must improve his hard-hit metrics and plate discipline to take the next step as a hitter, but his elite athleticism should give hope to fantasy managers.

Boston Red Sox shortstop Ceddanne Rafaela went 2-for-4 in Friday's 11-6 win over the Rangers, including his 13th home run of the season. The hits extended his current hit streak to eight games, and he's hit safely in 12 of his last 13. During the eight-game hit streak the 23-year-old is 11-for-31 (.355) with two home runs, four RBI, six runs scored, and two stolen bases. He's been a solid multi-category contributor this season, posting a .257-13-57-54-15 line over 106 games, putting him in the top 12 at the position.