Giants icon Will Clark reveals real reason behind Rafael Devers missing 1B drills

Rafael Devers and the Boston Red Sox seem not to be able to free themselves of drama. The infielder's trade to the San Francisco Giants appeared like a much-needed fresh start for someone once considered a face of the organization.

The Giants traded for Rafael Devers following his controversial few months with the Red Sox management, where they had asked him to take up DH duties after playing 3B all his life. They brought in Alex Bregman, and when Triston Casas went through a season-ending injury, Devers also refused to move to 1B.

The Giants requested that Will Clark prep Devers to take up first base duties. Clark has been a legend in San Francisco, with five straight All-Star seasons with the club from 1988 to 1992. His jersey No.22 is also retired by the franchise.

But as per the former Silver Slugger winner on his podcast Dueces Wild, Raphael Devers no-showed all the days he was supposed to learn defensive duties.

“Friday, Saturday, Sunday, he did not come out early, at all. Period, not all. In fact, he didn’t even hit on the field,” Clark said. “Everybody’s like, ‘Oh my God, I’m so sorry, Will. I’m so sorry.’” (1:11:00 onwards).

Clark later shared Devers' explanation for missing out on practice. It unfortunately coincided with the days the Red Sox were in town to play the Giants.

“I know what the (expletive) happened,” Clark said. “I said, he didn’t want to go out and be at first base and be 20 feet in front of their freaking dugout with what went on in Boston, and now he’s working with me at first base. He didn’t want to have to go through all that (expletive) through the press in the media. So, I completely understand.”

Red Sox insider clarifies statements about Rafael Devers not taking 1B duties

Red Sox insider Will Flemming found himself receiving some heat from Giants fans for a wrong portrayal of Rafael Devers' interaction with Clark. During his appearance on WEEI on Monday, Flemming stated:

"They think he's going to win them divisions and hit a bunch of — he's going to hit home runs, of course he is. They don't yet know what is going to happen with the player. I was there the second day. Will Clark was there to work on ground balls with him at first base and Rafi didn't show up, so that's the person that these guys have been dealing with for a long time."

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This met the ire of Giants fans who weren't pleased with Flemming's presentation of the incident, which wasn't anything like what Clark had explained on his podcast. The broadcaster clarified his comments with a tweet on Tuesday evening.

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It has been a quiet start for the Dominican slugger on the west coast, hitting at .234 with 9 RBIs and 2 home runs in 22 games.

About the author

Nikhil Parshy is a baseball and ice hockey journalist at Sportskeeda, and after starting out as a cricket reporter, he has been an analyst with SK since November 2022. His interest in the sports were piqued a few years back after watching highlights on YouTube and he has followed the game ever since.

The Chicago Cubs breaking the 108-year curse in 2016 to lift the World Series remains Nikhil's favorite baseball moment. Two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani has been his favorite player ever since he started following the game, while the LA Dodgers are his favorite team.

As a writer, Nikhil maintains a strong attention to detail and rigorously cross-checks information. He seeks to strike a balance in his writing such that the regular reader gains an insight into player profiles, while also keeping in mind that the non-regular reader is not put off by jargon and shallow analysis.

Nikhil is an avid public speaker, and when not writing about baseball, he regularly participates in debates and quizzes.

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Edited by Nadim El Kak