As the game of baseball changes with the pitch clock, bigger bases and more batters putting the ball in play, athleticism, speed and stolen bases have suddenly become very important to teams that want to play winning baseball. The Boston Red Sox have rarely been known for their skill in the speed game, but they may be changing as minor league phenom Ceddanne Rafaela set an organizational record Saturday with 6 stolen bases.
Ceddanne Rafaela set a franchise record with 6⃣ stolen bases today!
As a team, the Sea Dogs stole 9 bases today, also a franchise record. pic.twitter.com/NuBcqVtWSV
— Portland Sea Dogs (@PortlandSeaDogs) May 13, 2023
Rafaela accomplished the feat with the Portland Sea Dogs, Boston's Double-A affiliate. Actually, Rafaela was originally credited with 7 stolen bases, but the official scorer ruled that one of those was actually defensive indifference, so he was forced to settle for 6.
Prior to Rafaela's achievement, Jacoby Ellsbury held the organizational record when he swiped 5 bases in a 2013 game with the Red Sox. The previous Portland record for stolen bases was held by Jeremy Hazelbaker, who had 4 stolen bases in a 2012 game.
The 22-year-old projects as a future centerfielder for the Red Sox, although he has also played 2nd base and 3rd base. Rafaela is slashing .236/.263/327 for the Sea Dogs with 1 home run and 16 RBI. Before he put on a show with his 6 stolen bases Saturday, Rafaela had 10 stolen bases this season and he had been caught 3 times.
Rafaela is a 5-9, 152-pound prospect who is on Boston's 40-man roster. While the Red Sox would like to see him put on weight and add strength, Rafaela has displayed surprising power at various stops in his career. He blasted 21 home runs at various minor league spots last year for the Red Sox.
Follow Us
Subscribe