That Balls Outta Here
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Rival slugger looks like the next coming of Mike Schmidt

By Gabrielle Starr

Mike Schmidt,Third and First Baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies prepares to bat the during the Major League Baseball National League East game against the Chicago Cubs on 28 June 1988 at Wrigley Field, Chicago, United States. Cubs won the game 6 - 4. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Allsport/Getty Images)
Mike Schmidt,Third and First Baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies prepares to bat the during the Major League Baseball National League East game against the Chicago Cubs on 28 June 1988 at Wrigley Field, Chicago, United States. Cubs won the game 6 - 4. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Allsport/Getty Images) /
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Red Sox star Rafael Devers’ numbers are eerily similar to Philadelphia Phillies legend Mike Schmidt’s

When talking about the greatest third basemen in Major League Baseball history, Mike Schmidt’s name is always at the top of the list.

Now, another third baseman is making a name for himself, and it’s scary how similar his offensive numbers are to the Philadelphia Phillies legend.

Sadly, it’s not Alec Bohm.

On Sunday, Boston Red Sox media relations pointed out that Rafael Devers’ numbers through his first 633 career games are nearly identical to Schmidt’s over the same span. Both homered 134 times. Schmidt had a .837 OPS over his first 633 games, Devers’ is .866.

They also noted that Devers leads MLB in extra-base hits since 2019 by a wide margin. His 245 extra baggers far outpace everyone else; Cleveland’s José Ramírez ranks second with 219, followed by Nick Castellanos (216). Bryce Harper’s 211 XBH rank seventh on the list.

Devers is a phenomenal talent. Debuting in 2017, when he was only 20 years old, he’s already a two-time All-Star (2021-22), has a Silver Slugger award (2021), and received MVP votes in 2019 and 2021. He’s currently leading MLB in total bases, something he also did in 2019, when he also led the AL with 54 doubles. His 112 hits this season lead the AL as well.

Of course, Schmidt was a three-time MVP, six-time Silver Slugger, 10-time Gold Glover, and 12-time All-Star in his 18-year career. Devers has a lot of work to do if he wants to keep pace, and he has more competition, as MLB has expanded from 26 to 30 teams since Schmidt retired.

We won’t know how truly similar the two hot corner stars are until Devers’ career is over. He did get a World Series ring faster and younger than Schmidt, though. The sky’s the limit for him.

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