Baseball prospect Ceddanne Rafaela hails from the island of Curacao and is a utility player. His primary positions are third base, shortstop, and center field. He is 5' 8" and weighs 152 pounds. Rafaela was acquired by the Boston Red Sox organization in 2017, when the club signed him as a free agent. His contract included a $10,000 signing bonus.
Rafaela is known as a defensively-oriented player, but after moving to the United States from Curacao, he has improved his hitting technique. He makes use of the entire field, has developed power, and is an agile player.
During the 2018 season, the multi-position player made his minor league debut. The 17-year-old would participate in the Dominican Summer League for the Red Sox club. During his 54-game stay, he played well, batting .271, collecting 28 RBIs, and stealing 19 bases.
Ceddanne would then compete for Boston's rookie Gulf-coast club in 2019. Rafaela would yet again demonstrate his defensive prowess by playing several positions. Including short stop, second base and third base. He would have a solid offensive season, hitting .248 with six home runs in 41 games.
The highly anticipated Red Sox prospect would eventually reach single-a in 2021. The now 20-year-old would bat for a career high of .251, bringing in 53 runners and hitting 10 home runs while competing against much older opponents. Rafaela played in 102 games throughout the course of the season, splitting his time between the outfield and the infield.
The 2022 season would be the season where Rafaela cracked MLB pipelines. The utility player made the top-100 prospects list mid-season and was regarded by scouts as the 26th best prospect in the Red Sox organization. The adolescent received two at-bats at the MLB Future Game in 2022, which he was also invited to participate in.
In high-A Greenville to begin the season, Rafaela would find the level to be too simple for him. Rafaela had a brief 45-game stretch with a.330 batting average and nine home runs.
Later, the Red Sox move him up to AA Portland, where he now plays. Rafaela has performed effectively in Portland's first 31 games thus far. He presently has seven home runs, 19 RBIs, and a .291 batting average.
Prior to the 2023 season, the Red Sox must make a significant decision about Ceddanne Rafaela since the utility player is eligible to be taken via the rule 5 draft. He may be protected by the Red Sox by being added to their MLB roster, or they could take a chance on losing him to another team. How will the Sox respond?