Pair of Boston Red Sox Youngsters Top MLB Leaderboards in Key Stat So Far in 2025

Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela has taken the largest year-over-year leap in contact percentage in the league, while Wilyer Abreu ranks second.

Arlington, Texas, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu (52) celebrates with Boston Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela (3) after scoring during the sixth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox's offense has been buoyed by some breakout young stars so far this season, some of whom have taken larger leaps than anyone else in baseball.

Wilyer Abreu, especially, has turned heads by batting .378 with a 1.203 OPS and 1.0 WAR through 13 games. And while Ceddanne Rafaela may not have the raw numbers of Abreu or Kristian Campbell, he has improved his on-base percentage by 34 points and cut his strikeout rate by 16.1%.

According to Foolish Baseball, Rafaela's year-over-year increase in Contract% leads MLB. He bumped his 70% mark from 2024 all the way up to 84% through the first two weeks of the 2025 campaign.

Abreu ranks second with a 12% improvement, going from 74% to 86%.

It's early, but the two biggest increasers in Contact% between 2024 and 2025 so far are Ceddanne Rafaela (70% -> 84%) and Wilyer Abreu (74% -> 86%).

— Foolish Baseball (@FoolishBB) April 10, 2025

Both Abreu and Rafaela proved to be valuable members of the Red Sox in 2024. The former won a Gold Glove and finished sixth in AL Rookie of the Year voting, while the latter made history as a dynamic shortstop-center fielder.

With Campbell now in the big leagues and other top prospects like Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony well on their way, though, neither Abreu nor Rafaela were guaranteed a starting job moving forward. By improving their respective approaches at the plate, complementing their elite defense in the outfield, the two rising stars have found a way to make themselves even more indispensable.

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