MLB's Newest Hall of Famer Takes Dig at Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela Treatment

Two years into his Boston Red Sox career, center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela is still something of an enigma.

After winning his first Gold Glove Award and putting up almost five bWAR last year, Rafaela is clearly a valuable commodity already. But the 25-year-old has been highly inconsistent at the plate, and the Red Sox likely haven't helped matters by moving him around on defense, with 82 games at shortstop as a rookie and 24 at second base last year.

As Rafaela looks to take the next step to becoming an All-Star in 2026, one of his fellow countrymen who knows a thing or two about center field play is hopeful that some consistency this year will do him some good.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Andruw Jones wished Red Sox hadn't moved Rafaela around

Aug 10, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth (9) slides into second base with a double ahead of the tag of Boston Red Sox second baseman Ceddanne Rafaela (3) during the fifth inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

On Tuesday, Rafaela's manager with Team Netherlands for the World Baseball Classic and recently-elected Hall of Famer Andruw Jones was asked by Rob Bradford of WEEI what he was hoping to pass down to the Red Sox's center fielder as a mentor.

"Nothing, to be honest with you," Jones told Bradford. "I've been watching him for the last two years, how he improved, winning the Gold Glove last year. He's special. He's a very special kid.

"I was kind of mad with the way Boston was handling him a little bit, you know, putting him at shortstop, putting him in center field, moving him around. He's a great defender in center field, so hopefully they can keep him there and let him win as (many) Gold Gloves as he can win."

A lot of Red Sox fans likely agree with Jones' sentiment, and the numbers from last season back it up. Rafaela was beginning to hit his stride in June and July, but after Marcelo Mayer got injured, the Curaçao native found himself playing second base for much of August. That coincided with a brutal slump.

In his 79 plate appearances as a second baseman last year, Rafaela hit .132 with a .309 OPS and no home runs. As a center fielder, he hit .268 with a .772 OPS in 509 plate appearances.

If you extrapolate those splits over a full season of Rafaela in center field, he's one of the most valuable players in the sport, and if there's anyone the Red Sox should listen to about how to develop a center fielder, it's Andruw Jones.