In the final weeks of what will be remembered as one of the ugliest seasons in recent franchise history, Rafael Devers spent the summer proving just why the San Francisco Giants acquired him last summer.
Devers crushed another home run, his 37th, in Saturday’s 7-6 loss to the NL West rival Padres. However, a season-ending core muscle injury cost him a shot to become the Giants player since Barry Bonds to hit 40 homers in a season. He finished only two RBIs away from reaching 100 for the season, a feat last achieved in San Francisco by Buster Posey in 2012.
At this time two months ago, the Devers trade looked like an utter disaster for a Giants franchise that has spent far too much time swinging and missing the last few years, especially as it relates to players and personnel. But when you really look at the numbers, you’ll realize that his renaissance appears legitimate, and it’s excellent news for an immensely frustrated Giants fan base.
San Francisco Giants fans should be all-in on Rafael Devers’ unexpected resurgence
Before going any further, let’s take a deep dive into Devers’ second-half statistics.
Stat | First half | Second half |
|---|---|---|
Plate appearances | 407 | 226 |
Batting average | .249 | .275 |
Home runs | 19 | 18 |
Runs batted in | 52 | 46 |
Walks | 38 | 31 |
Strikeouts | 111 | 50 |
OPS | .799 | .988 |
Doubles | 25 | 11 |
We can point to home runs or batting average all we want, but the most important number on that list is how significantly Devers’ walk rate has improved. Consider that he had 67 strikeouts against 13 walks through his first 227 first-half plate appearances, so we’re long past the point of calling it a night and day difference.
Only Devers can properly answer why his plate discipline was so uncharacteristic throughout the first half. Was he pressing amid the high expectations and the constant team-wide turmoil? Did something finally click mentally after he’d spent a full calendar year with the Giants?
Actually, there might be something to that last point.
Rafael Devers turned it on after June 15 off day
The Giants were off on June 15, which marked a full 365 days since last year’s trade. He ended the season hitting .282 with 28 home runs, 65 RBIs, and a 1.022 OPS since June 16; that's a 60-home-run, 139-RBI pace over a full 162-game season. Those are the numbers that earn you an MVP award, so long as you’re not going head-to-head with Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, or Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Devers had arguably played the best baseball of his career before the injury, and that's no joke. He averaged 32 home runs, 96 RBIs, and an .873 OPS from 2021-24, and there’s no reason to think he can’t carry this momentum into next season.
Whether he’ll suit up for the Giants in 2027, though, is another conversation that has nothing to do with the looming work stoppage. We heard rumors throughout the summer that the Giants were open to trading Devers, shortstop Willy Adames, and third baseman Matt Chapman. For what it’s worth, the three-time All-Star has not formally requested a trade, nor were there credible reports about teams being deeply involved in acquiring Devers.
Devers will make $28.5 million in each of his final seven seasons, and he won’t be eligible for 10-and-5 rights until 2030. In other words: If you want Devers, you might have a chance to land him and his massive contract. Yet, given his play at the tail end of this season, perhaps Posey and the Giants should keep him around, injury or not.
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