With Boston tenure fully ‘in the past,’ Devers prepared for first full season with SF Giants

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — The vibes of Rafael Devers’ last spring as a Boston Red Sox and first spring as a San Francisco Giant could not be more different.

A year ago, Devers was at the center of an uncomfortable saga in Boston. Devers said he wouldn’t move off third base to accommodate free-agent Alex Bregman, eventually relented, then declined to move to first base when an injury-induced opening emerged. His time as a Red Sox ended with a blockbuster trade to the Giants that, in time, is looking more like a salary dump on Boston’s end.

Fast forward to now, and Devers appears light. He’s happy. He’s relaxed. He’s hitting batting practice bombs that are leaving dents on the top of Scottsdale Stadium’s Charro Lodge.

The Giants got a three-and-a-half-month sample of Devers’ lineup-altering power, as well as a peek at his defensive abilities at first base. Soon, they’ll get a full year — and many more — of the Rafael Devers experience.

“Coming in, I already knew what he could do for our lineup and what type of year he could put together. … I don’t put as much weight on exactly what the statistics say, but he’s a presence in the lineup that can affect how the other team has to gameplan,” said manager Tony Vitello. “But also, I’ve had to be in the dugout when you’re gameplanning against a guy like that. You know it makes the other guys in the lineup better, too.”

Devers is about eight months removed from being traded, but he couldn’t escape his first scrum of camp without fielding a couple of questions about Boston. Not without good reason, since Red Sox chairman Tom Werner recently told The Boston Globe that Devers’ unwillingness to play first base was “extremely discouraging.”

“It was a discouraging episode,” Werner said. “Just pick up a glove.”

Devers took the high road when asked about the comments, saying he would like to focus on his new team.

“That’s in the past,” Devers said through team interpreter Erwin Higueros. “I don’t want to talk about it. It’s over. I don’t have any opinions on what he said. So, let’s concentrate here and just leave the past in the past.”

The Giants sent four players to the Red Sox in exchange for Devers: Kyle Harrison, Jordan Hicks, James Tibbs III and Jose Bello. Currently, the 20-year-old Bello is the only one left in Boston’s organization after the Red Sox traded Harrison, Hicks and Tibbs.

As for Bregman, the signing that alienated Devers? He opted out after the first year of his three-year, $120 million contract with Boston and signed a five-year, $175 million deal with the Chicago Cubs. Devers, for his part, wasn’t keeping tabs on his old team.

“I don’t have social media. I don’t go onto the internet,” Devers said. “My main concern, my main goal is to give my 100 percent.”

Devers’ goals for his first season are a little more concrete than the abstract concept of doing his best. For one, Devers wants to hit 30 homers, something he’s already done four times in his career.

With respect to Matt Chapman, Heliot Ramos and Willy Adames, who broke the Giants’ 30-homer drought, Devers is the most legitimate middle-of-the-order bat that the Giants have had in decades. Even Buster Posey, a future Hall of Famer before becoming this team’s president of baseball operations, didn’t have this caliber of pop.

And while Devers has already established himself with his bat, he wants to do the same with his glove.

There were some understandable growing pains when Devers picked up first base upon joining the Giants after a career at third base. He looked more and more comfortable as he piled up the reps, making some nifty picks by season’s end.

Devers spent the offseason working on his defense and has been one of many infielders in camp working with Ron Washington, whose passion for teaching infield defense hasn’t waned after undergoing a quadruple bypass heart surgery last year. After declining to play for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, Devers will get plenty of opportunities to work with “Wash.”

“He’s working his butt off,” Washington said of Devers, who was worth +2 defensive runs saved. “He’s been making the adjustments you have to make.”

While Devers doesn’t consider himself a leader, Vitello noted that the three-time All-Star spoke up during the first team meeting before the first day of full-squad workouts. Vitello also praised Devers’ baseball IQ and his ability to “think his way through a game.”

“He’s pretty passionate about how well the team does, not just himself,” Vitello said. “He takes ownership of that craft.”

The dynamic between Devers and top prospect Bryce Eldridge, who’s fighting for a spot on the Opening Day roster, will be one of this season’s more compelling subplots.

The two are an imperfect fit, a pair of left-handed hitters with awesome power and limited defensive versatility. If one is at first base, then the other will have to be at DH. Assuming Eldridge makes the cut, Devers is the likelier of the two to get the bulk of playing time at first base.

Devers, for what it’s worth, is all for Eldridge being in the lineup for the season’s first game. He’s also got a vision of how that night could go.

“If we hit a home run the same day, that would be excellent too,” Devers said with a smile.