It seems as if the walls are closing in on San Francisco Giants first baseman Rafael Devers. As his struggles in April continued, he seemed visibly frustrated. His animated aggravation has led many to suggest that he’s feeling the pressure after being ranked MLB’s least productive hitter last month. For a guy who is supposed to be the big bat in the lineup, he’s been a virtual non-entity.
After one month, the former Red Sox player is hitting .207, with two home runs, 11 RBI, and a pedestrian .537 on-base percentage in 2026. He’s never hit in the City by the Bay the way he did in Boston, after being acquired in a huge mid-season trade a year ago. His best season in Beantown, 2019, produced career marks with a .311 average, 201 hits, 54 doubles, and 115 RBIs. To be fair, that is nine seasons removed, but the pace that Devers is currently on makes it feel more like light-years.
Still, the 10-year veteran and former three-time AL All-Star (2021, 2022, and 2024) that despite what fans and observers have been seeing on the field, he’s not as exasperated as he appears.
“There’s no reason to be frustrated,” Devers told reporters this week. “It’s my job. Every baseball player goes through ups and downs. That’s the only thing I know how to do. And I do believe in myself that eventually I’m going to get out of this funk.”
Despite his protests, there has been plenty of commentary recently regarding Rafael’s ridiculously poor numbers. Most notably, Giants broadcaster and former pitcher Mike Krukow chimed in on what he’s been seeing (or not seeing) from the 29-year-old slugger.
Krukow flat-out said that Devers hasn’t struck any fear in opposing pitchers, saying they don’t have respect for the hitter’s bat – at least, not yet. He went on to explain that Devers can take advantage of that if he swings at the good pitches he’s being served up. That could be a key to a huge turnaround for the veteran star.
“There’s one guy in the Giants lineup that pitchers don’t respect right now, and that’s Devers,” the broadcaster stated during a recent appearance on KNBR Radio. “He has swung through so many fastballs that are out over the plate— belt high, and he’s swinging through them. It’s hard to explain.”
“We thought he was coming out of it, but he’s going to have to start hitting a lot of those fastballs. One good thing is when everyone is throwing fastballs by you, and they’re not respecting you, you know what’s coming. It’s not like you have to think about a lot of different speeds or locations.”
“Just gear up, and try to beat the fastball. It’s everybody. Even guys who don’t have big fastballs are throwing fastballs at him. That has to change.”
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