Questions about Rafael Devers’ fit are growing as SF Giants wait for power to click

When the SF Giants committed over $250 million to Rafael Devers by trading for him back in June of last year, they expected the former Red Sox slugger to bring one thing to this Giants roster: power, and a lot of it.

But so far, 22 games into the season — which is still a small sample size, by the way — it’s been a lot of strikeouts, flyouts, lineouts, and displays of frustration. From snapping his bat, to muttering to himself after a bad defensive play, to even staring at his bat as if something were wrong with it, that cold opening stretch is definitely taking a mental toll on him. However, slow starts are nothing new for him. After all, he opened last season 0-for-19 with 15 strikeouts.

Maybe the most concerning aspect of that slow start is that basically every other everyday player has had a hot stretch.

Willy Adames had a four-game multi-hit streak. Matt Chapman leads the team in hits and is one of just two players with double-digit RBI (Ramos is the other). Casey Schmitt hit .342/.375/.632 with a 1.007 OPS and two home runs over a nine-game stretch as the designated hitter. Both Heliot Ramos and Jung Hoo Lee have come alive lately, and Luis Arraez has been one of the most consistent players so far, both on offense and defense.

Maybe first base is not the right fit

Ever since the Giants acquired Devers last year, they have made it clear they want to turn him into an everyday first baseman, despite having other players who are undoubtedly more comfortable at the position.

Initially a third baseman, Devers reluctantly transitioned into a designated hitter last year in Boston and has been splitting time between first base and DH since landing in San Francisco. In his 41 games at first base, all of which have come with the Giants, Devers is slashing just .185/.254/.327 with a .581 OPS. Meanwhile, in his 164 games as a DH dating back mainly to last season, he’s hitting .272/.383/.503 with a significantly better .886 OPS.

While his bat will eventually come around, his defense might take a little longer to get where it needs to be, if it ever does. He's posted -1 Outs Above Average in his 12 games at first base this season and has struggled at times to both catch and field the ball properly. Tony Vitello's decision to go with Schmitt at first base in the Giants' 3-0 series-finale loss to the Nationals on Sunday might be a glimpse of what lies ahead for the 29-year-old slugger.

Given that Schmitt is a natural infielder and Bryce Eldridge is adjusting nicely to the position in Triple-A, it wouldn't be surprising to see Devers shift into a full-time DH role.

Several key numbers have dipped

Devers entered the season having driven in over 100 runs in four of his last six full seasons, not counting 2021, and has hit at least 20 home runs in every healthy season of his career. But his lack of power this year has been blatant. Of his 16 hits, just four have gone for extra bases, and his .315 slugging percentage is the lowest among the Giants' everyday starters. His power shortage has unquestionably played a role in the Giants being tied for last in home runs (13) and ranking 25th in OPS (.658).

His struggles extend beyond his lack of pop, though. Devers is coming off his best season at drawing walks, posting an impressive 15.4% walk rate that ranked in the 98th percentile. So far this year, that number has plummeted to 5.6%, while his strikeout rate (30%) is as high as ever.

Lastly, his inability to hit righties has been concerning, given that he owns a .903 career OPS against them. Through 56 plate appearances, he's hitting just .173 with a .482 OPS against right-handed pitchers.

With the Death Star Dodgers in town this week, the Giants could really use a Devers hot stretch, though he hasn't had much success against the three pitchers he's set to face. Devers has gone a combined 9-for-47 (.191) with no home runs against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, and Tyler Glasnow.

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