Ceddanne Rafaela’s earlier value came from speed, clutch hitting, athleticism, and elite center-field defense. In 2026, his biggest change is more disciplined at-bats, including refusing to swing at tempting pitches that sweep out of the zone. The restraint appears early in plate appearances and helps unlock his ceiling. Examples show him taking a pitch on a 0-1 count, even when opponents previously used that location and pitch type to draw swings. After he holds his discipline, pitchers must respond with pitches lower and in the strike zone, and he then makes effective contact. His ability to drive pitches in the zone has been underappreciated.
"That may not seem like a huge deal, but that's Ceddanne Rafaela not swinging at a tempting pitch sweeping out of the zone, and that's a huge change from previous seasons. It's subtle when it unfolds early in an at bat, but it's the key to unlocking his ceiling at the plate - And if we're being fair, it's a ceiling that's far higher than he's ever been given credit for."
"Anyway, here's what happened later in that same at-bat because he hung around with a little better count leverage and proved to Kerkering he wasn't going to chase the sweeper:"
"You want a more recent example? Here's Rafaela taking another 0-1 pitch on Tuesday. This time, it's a slider above the zone, which is a location and pitch opponents have always used to get him to chase with great success."
"Rafaela has always been able to pound pitches in the zone, and for whatever reason, we've largely overlooked that. Perhaps it's because of his siz"
Read at Over the Monster
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]