Look, if you told me in 2024 that Rafael Devers wouldn't be wearing Red Sox socks for the rest of his life, I’d have called you crazy. But the baseball world moves fast, and the 2025 blockbuster that sent "Raffy Big Stick" to the Bay Area fundamentally changed the National League West. It wasn't just a "contract dump" like some fans in Boston scream about; it was a total identity shift for a San Francisco team that desperately needed a middle-of-the-order anchor.
When the trade went down on June 15, 2025, people were skeptical. Could a guy who spent his whole career hitting toward the Green Monster really handle the heavy air at Oracle Park?
The reality is that Rafael Devers stats with Giants prove that elite hitters don't care about geography. In his first 90 games for San Francisco through the end of the 2025 season, Devers put up a slash line of .236/.347/.460. Now, don't let that batting average fool you. His power remained absolutely terrifying. He mashed 20 home runs in just over half a season in a Giants uniform. If you project that across a full 162-game slate, you're looking at a 35-to-40 home run pace. In San Francisco? That's almost unheard of for a lefty who isn't named Barry Bonds.
Breaking down the Rafael Devers stats with Giants
Honestly, the way Devers adjusted to the NL was kinda fascinating to watch. He didn't just walk into the clubhouse and start spraying doubles. It took a minute. He started his Giants tenure as a primary Designated Hitter—a role he’d basically been forced into by the Red Sox front office earlier that year.
His production at the plate was remarkably consistent despite the "tougher" hitting environment in San Francisco. Here is what the raw numbers looked like for his 2025 stint with the Giants:
🔗 Read more: Minnesota Twins Texas Rangers: The Weird History and Matchups That Actually Matter
- Games Played: 90
- At Bats: 335
- Home Runs: 20
- RBIs: 51
- Walks: 56
- OPS: .807
- wRC+: 127
That 127 wRC+ is the number you should care about. It basically says he was 27% better than the average MLB hitter while playing in one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in the country. He also showed a level of plate discipline that we didn't always see in Boston, drawing 56 walks in those 90 games. He was basically the only guy in that lineup that pitchers were truly afraid to challenge with runners on base.
The defensive drama and the move to first base
The whole reason the Red Sox moved on from Devers was messy. They signed Alex Bregman, told Devers he was a DH, and things got sour. Fast. But in San Francisco, Buster Posey and the front office took a different approach. While he mostly DH'd in 2025, the plan for 2026 is already clear: Rafael Devers is taking over first base.
It makes sense. He’s 29 years old now. His days of range at third base were already numbered—he led the league in errors there multiple times—but his hands are still soft. Putting him at first base keeps his bat in the lineup every day without the physical toll of third or the mental "boredom" of DHing.
Why the trade actually looks like a win for San Francisco
Usually, when a team eats $250 million of a contract, they’re doing it for a superstar. The Giants did exactly that. They gave up Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks (among others), which felt like a massive price at the time. But look at what they got.
Devers finished the 2025 season with a combined 35 home runs and 109 RBIs between Boston and San Francisco. He’s a middle-of-the-order monster who is signed through 2033. For a team like the Giants, who have spent years chasing "the guy"—Aaron Judge, Carlos Correa, Shohei Ohtani—they finally landed a perennial All-Star who is actually in the building.
The stats tell you he's a top-tier hitter. The eye test tells you he’s the heartbeat of the dugout.
There's a specific game from late September 2025 that really sticks out. The Giants were playing the Rockies, and Devers went 1-for-4 with a solo shot. It wasn't just any home run; it was a 420-foot blast that seemed to signal he was finally comfortable. He finished that season with 153 hits and a .372 OBP. He’s getting on base. He’s driving runs in. He’s doing exactly what the Giants paid for.
What to expect from Devers in 2026
If you're a fantasy manager or just a Giants fan trying to figure out if 2025 was a fluke, the projections for 2026 are looking pretty juicy. FanGraphs has him slated for around 159 games with 32 home runs and a .249 average. Honestly, I think the average will be higher. Now that he’s settled into the Bay Area and isn't dealing with the "trade shock" anymore, he's likely to hover closer to his career mark of .276.
💡 You might also like: MLB Live Reddit Streams: What Most People Get Wrong
The most important thing to watch is his role. As he moves to first base full-time, his defensive WAR might actually stabilize. No more throwing errors from the hot corner. Just a big guy at first catching balls and hitting rockets into the arcade.
Actionable insights for following Rafael Devers
To stay ahead of the curve on how Devers is performing in San Francisco, you should focus on these three specific metrics:
- Exit Velocity: Devers still ranks in the top percentiles of the league for hard-hit rate. If his average exit velocity stays above 92 mph, the home runs will keep coming regardless of the park.
- Walk Rate: In 2025, his walk rate spiked to nearly 14%. If he keeps taking his walks, he’ll remain an elite OBP threat even when he’s in a hitting slump.
- Home/Road Splits: Watch how he performs at Oracle Park versus on the road. In 2025, he proved he could hit at home, but his road stats were actually even more explosive.
Keep an eye on the Giants' lineup construction around him. With guys like Jung Hoo Lee and Willy Adames in the mix, Devers is going to have plenty of opportunities to drive in 100+ runs again this year. The trade was a gamble, sure, but the Rafael Devers stats with Giants suggest it's a gamble that’s already paying off.