MLB: The most valued third baseman of 2019
5. Rafael Devers, Red Sox, $7.631 million value; $615,000 salary
So many Boston players earned such exorbitant salaries while delivering so many sub-par performances last season that it may be easy to overlook the two or three who actually contributed serious value.
Despite the team’s mediocre 84-78 third-place finish, the left side of Boston’s infield – Devers and shortstop Xander Bogaerts – ranked among the best at their positions.
In his age 22 season, Devers batted .311 in 156 games with 90 extra-base hits and 115 RBIs, so you could rule him out as part of the problem. His 133 OPS+ set him apart, and his .555 slugging percentage ranked sixth among all third basemen. It was worth more than $4.7 million.
At .361, his on-base average would not be described as elite. Still, it was the position’s ninth-best, 20 percentage points above the positional average.
If Devers needed work anywhere, it was with the glove. He misplayed 22 of his 431 chances, a .949 fielding percentage that stood just 29th among the 33 third basemen and valued out to only $656,000.
But Devers made up for that shortcoming with effort. He was on the field for 1,355 innings the second-largest total of any third baseman, creating a final $852,000 in value. In tandem with his other numbers, that was enough to slot him comfortably among the game’s five best at his position in 2019.