Red Sox rookie Ceddanne Rafaela has made remarkable strides in his first full season, but MLB unfortunately doesn't have an award for players who turn it around during the course of 162.
It does, however, have the American League Rookie of the Year.
"To be honest with you, that was a goal growing up," Rafaela said Wednesday, per Christopher Smith of MassLive. "It's an honor for me to be in the talks with other good players. So yeah, obviously it's on my mind, but it's not something I'm going to stress myself out about. I just want to win ballgames."
Rafaela willed his turnaround into existence, slashing .324/.359/.500 with five home runs, seven doubles, two triples, 18 RBIs and 23 runs in his last 39 games. He was batting .210 through the early portion of June.
How did he turn things around? He found himself.
"When I get to that point that I find myself, I think that's when I do good things," Rafaela said. "And I think I'm at that point right now. ... The first month, I was really trying to find myself and be more consistent. But I'm happy where I'm at right now. I'm helping the team. It's not only with my at-bats but my defense."
Is it possible for Rafaela to actually win ROTY?
He currently has the fourth-best odds (+1200) to win AL Rookie of the Year, behind the Baltimore Orioles' Colton Cowser (-125), the New York Yankees' Luis Gil (+270) and the Yankees' Austin Wells (+700), per FanDuel Sportsbook.
Rafaela's best case is tied to his defensive versatility, as there's an argument no rookie has been relied upon to do more throughout the course of the season.
"What he's doing is very unique," Red Sox manager Alex Cora told Smith. "To play center and to play shortstop a lot, that's very unique. And I think offensively, he's making strides. He's getting better."
If he keeps getting better, the conversation will get more serious. For now, it's just about winning ballgames.
