In 2012, Rafaela played for Curacao in the Little League World Series.

In 2017, Ceddanne signed with the Red Sox as a free agent, out of Curacao, via scouts Dennis Neuman, Rollie Pino and Todd Claus. His bonus was $10,000.

In 2020, the Baseball America Prospect Handbook rated Rafaela as the 22nd-best prospect in the Red Sox farm system, and he was at #26 in the spring of 2021. He was at #22 in the spring of 2022.  But then, before 2023 spring training, he made the jump to #3 Bosox prospect. He was at #4 in the spring of 2024.

2021 Season: This standout defender from Curacao is just 5-foot-8 but he plays big all over the field. He was Boston's Minor League Player of the Year. How versatile is he? Playing the entire season with Low-A Salem, Rafaela started 51 games in center field, nine in left, one in right, 17 at third, 15 at shortstop and six at second base. He has a laser for an arm in the outfield, using it to make nine assists this past season. 

The 21-year-old is still growing into his body, and that should help him become a better player offensively as the years ago by. A right-handed hitter, Rafaela led Salem with nine triples and 73 runs. He added 10 homers and 53 RBIs. Athletic players who can play all over the diamond are always intriguing.  (Ian Browne - Nov. 12, 2021)

Rafaela said his mom loved the Braves because of Andruw Jones, who is from Curacao. But it was the career-long face of the Braves’ franchise who stole her heart.

“She really liked how he played,” Rafaela said, “and they called me Chipper because of Chipper Jones.”

Rafaela doesn’t share idols with his mother. He loves the all-out manner in which Ronald Acuña Jr. and Mookie Betts play the game and he models his own style after them. But he did get to watch some Chipper Jones highlights growing up. (Torres/Buchanan-TheAthletic.com-July 17, 2022)

2022 Season: Rafaela was the breakout star of the Red Sox farm system. He was named by the Red Sox as their Minor League Defensive Player of the Year.

Rafaela was named the Red Sox' Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America. The 22-year-old shined in all facets of the game, showing off Gold Glove potential in both the outfield and infield while putting up huge numbers at the plate and on the base paths.

In 116 games this year between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland, Rafaela slashed .299/.342/.539 with 21 homers and 86 RBI. The 5-foot-8, 152-pounder also collected 32 doubles and 10 triples to go with 28 stolen bases.  

The Red Sox promoted outfielder/shortstop Ceddanne Rafaela. Rafaela, 22, was the No. 2 Boston prospect in Keith Law’s preseason rankings and the No. 48 prospect in the league in Law’s midseason rankings.

In 108 games between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester, Rafaela has batted .302 and knocked 20 home runs while stealing 36 bases.

Rafaela gets his first chance in Boston as Red Sox everyday center fielder Jarren Duran, who has appeared in 102 games this season, has been sidelined by a toe injury. Rafaela has long been one of the most exciting defensive players in the Red Sox system. 

Yet the reason he’s remained in Triple A so long is his plate discipline. Rafaela has shown good power with 14 homers in 48 games but continues to work on his swing decisions with 12 walks and 48 strikeouts (21.9 percent strikeout rate) in 219 plate appearances in Worcester. His plate discipline has been better in the last few weeks. Rafaela walked four times and homered on Aug. 2, a stretch of five straight games he’s homered, but Red Sox manager Alex Cora said at the time he was most pleased with the four walks. Rafaela has walked just five times since then, though.

Rafaela can fill in at either short or center. He’s mostly played center in Worcester, on a team loaded with infielders.  

“He’s doing a lot of good things. I think the swing decisions are improving. We know the athlete. Obviously, this a different level but we expect him to come here and whenever he plays, you just go out there have fun.”

“He can run. He’s been hitting for power, and his discipline has been a lot better the last few weeks, which is very important at this level,” Cora said.

Rafaela called his promotion “the most beautiful thing.” He said, “It’s everything I always wanted and more.”

“Obviously, it’s been very tough to become disciplined at the plate, but I just trust the process,” he said. “I know I can get there. That’s one thing I was working really hard on.” (McCaffrey/Law - Aug 28, 2023- The Athletic)

MLB debut (Aug. 28, 2023): The 22-year-old did not disappoint after entering the game in the top of the eighth inning. He took over in center field and then got his first at-bat in the bottom of the frame.

Rafaela didn't wait around to log his first career hit. In his first at-bat at the MLB level, Rafaela blooped the first pitch that he saw from Jose Urquidy to right field for a single. (WBZ - News Staff)

2023 Season:

AA/AAA: .302/.349/.520, 108 G, 20 HR, 79 RBI, 80 R, 26 BB, 36 SB

Among the most exciting players in the Minors for the past two seasons, Rafaela posted the best offensive numbers of his career after being promoted to Triple-A in June and cracked the Majors two months later. The 23-year-old remained aggressive at the plate, but Abraham noted that Rafaela made better swing decisions throughout the year – which will be paramount to his success at the Major League level. (Gerard Gilberto - Oct. 17, 2023)

After a slow start to the 2023 season, Rafaela led all Red Sox minor leaguers in extra-base hits for a second straight year. The center fielder/shortstop, who turned 23 in September, recorded 54 extra-base hits between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester. He also ripped two homers and six doubles with Boston to total 62 extra-base hits in all. 

March 23, 2024:  With the days before the Red Sox go to Seattle for Opening Day dwindling to five, manager Alex Cora wasted no time in getting to roster considerations before a 8-6 Grapefruit League win against the Twins. Cora announced that Ceddanne Rafaela, the club’s No. 4 prospect and baseball's No. 76 overall prospect, per MLB Pipeline, would make the Opening Day roster and break camp with the team.

With the news, an all-important puzzle piece in the middle of the field fell into place for Boston, giving it another prime-time athlete to roam center field when the season kicks off.

With any 23-year-old prospect, there were questions at the beginning of Spring Training about Rafaela’s readiness to be a mainstay in the Red Sox lineup. This spring, he's done his part to answer those questions.

“Everything we asked him to do in the offseason, he did. Everything that we asked him to do in Spring Training, he did,” Cora said. “He’s very dynamic, athletic, versatile and he’s a good kid, too, which is awesome. He’s going to get a lot of at-bats, and most of the time he’s going to be in center field. I do believe that he makes us better.”

From the very outset, there was a good chance that Rafaela would break camp with the Red Sox. Cora and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow were extremely high on Rafaela's ability to be a game-changing presence on the defensive side of the ball combined with his plus-speed and aptitude for finding the barrel. Concerns about over-aggressiveness and pitch recognition, though, were present.

In his brief debut stint with the Red Sox last season, Rafaela slashed a meager .241/.281/.386 with two homers and five RBIs in 28 games, striking out 28 times (31.5 K%) while drawing just four walks (4.5 BB%). In 20 Grapefruit League appearances this year, Rafaela is slashing .278/.339/.556 with three home runs, four steals and eight RBIs after collecting a single and two steals against the Twins.

Sure, it’s just Spring Training, but he’s cut down on his strikeouts (12 in 59 plate appearances), and Rafaela's ability to put together professional at-bats are a welcome sight to the Boston brass — a product of the work he underwent in the offseason.

“It’s not a final product, we know that, and he knows it,” Cora said. “As [Breslow] has said, the development of the player is not over in Triple-A. Offensively, he’s done a few things that we’ve asked him to do, as far as his hands, and attack the ones [pitches] that we like and take the ones we don’t have to swing at.

“He’s been really good in Spring Training, but it’s still Spring Training. But you can see the trend, and the intent is there.”

Knowing that he had the inside track to making the team, Rafaela understood that he just had to control what he could control if he wanted to break camp with the club for the first time in his career. Yet, he couldn’t shake the nerves when his manager called him into his office this week.

“Obviously I was kind of nervous, because I didn’t know what was going to happen at that moment,” Rafaela said. “I’ve been waiting for it all spring, so I was excited to see what the plan was.

“I called my mom, I called my wife, and then my brother. It was awesome.” 

Xander Bogaerts, who is currently on the IL, has been watching from a far the rise of rookie Ceddanne Rafaela, a native of Curaçao, a sister island to Bogaerts’ Aruba.

“He was one I was looking forward to playing with, but it didn’t happen,” Bogaerts said, noting his own similarities as a rookie to the free-swinging Rafeala. “All I needed was a little time, the team showed some trust in me, gave me more at-bats and playing time. I’m happy I’m the player that I am today because of that. I’m thankful for that. So I think with him it’s the same thing, just patience.” (McCaffrey - Jun 28, 2024 - The Athletic)

TRANSACTIONS

Rafaela has a solid hit tool and surprising pop for such a small player -- both receiving a 50 grade. When he barrels one, he has surprising thump.

Ceddanne's  size and pre-swing setup—hands held high above his head, then lowered to shoulder height before whipping the barrel through the zone—invariably draws comparisons with Mookie Betts, but his offensive approach is the polar opposite of the superstar. Though he has the bat life to drive the ball with average raw power, Rafaela is a free-swinger who has posted sky-high chase rates in the minors, and big league pitchers readily exploited the trait in 2023. Red Sox officials believe he made progress focusing on areas where he could do damage over the 2023 season, when he posted his second straight 20-20 season. (Alex Speier - BA Prospect Handbook - Spring, 2024)

Despite his lack of physicality, Rafaela produces average power thanks to a combination of a quick right-handed swing, deceptive strength and an extremely aggressive approach. He has good bat-to-ball skills, though he chases a lot of pitches out of the strike zone and will have to make better swing decisions to thrive against more advanced pitching. He's a plus runner who uses his quickness well on the bases and in the field. (BA - Spring 2023)

Cedanne's stance has visual similarities to that of Mookie Betts. He rests his bat on his shoulder before moving it overhead as the pitcher starts his delivery, then draws it back like a slingshot as the ball is released. Despite an incredibly aggressive approach, his hand-eye coordination has always yielded a high contact rate, and in 2022 he barreled balls regularly. Walks will likely be a rarity, but if Rafaela can improve his swing decisions, he possesses average or better hit and power potential. (Alex Speier - Baseball America Prospect Handbook - Spring, 2023)

As of the start of the 2023 season, the Red Sox sensed that the free-swinging Rafaela needed to further improve his swing decisions before moving up to Triple-A. He had one of the highest chase rates in the Double-A Eastern League in 2022—but did significant damage when swinging at pitches in the zone.

At big league camp this spring (2023), experienced pitchers routinely got Rafaela to hack at pitches several inches off the plate. Red Sox coaches and officials frequently worked with the 22-year-old in an effort to improve his swing decisions, but at times the team worried that the pendulum swung too far away from the aggressive cuts that allow Rafaela to impact the ball.

“His baseball IQ is good. He understands there’s things that he needs to do better, but I think all the talk about controlling the strike zone, I think the strike zone controlled him for a little bit (in big league camp),” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said

“We want him to be aggressive. Learn how to control being aggressive—go, go, go, take. He understands that, so just keep going.” (Alex Speier - BA - May, 2023)

In 2022, Ceddanne and Salem hitting coach Nelson Paulino determined that a pre-swing hitch created too much movement. He raised his hands above his head and started working more directly down towards the ball. He started smoking balls in the air rather than beating them into the ground.

The results showed promise. Rafaela hit .266/.306/.484 with nine homers in his final 63 games. 

Rafaela has good bat-to-ball skills and uses the entire field but sometimes undermines himself with an overly aggressive approach that can lead to weak contact and very few walks. Though he's listed at just 5-foot-8 and 152 pounds, he has a quick right-handed swing and some sneaky strength that produces average power. He translates his solid to plus speed into stolen bases and needs to focus on getting on base more. (Spring 2022)

Rafaela’s unexpected bat speed is particularly apparent against lefties (.267/.304/.627 with four homers). His speed shows up on the bases. His bat-to-ball skills are a double-edged sword, as he had a reasonable 18.3%strikeout rate but with a tendency to chase pitches on which he made weak contact. His 5.8% walk rate is concerning, and he’ll need to hone his approach to have a chance to be more than a glove-first reserve (A Speier - Baseball America - Spring 2022)

Rafaela is hard to miss. His high energy style of play is evident in every aspect of his game, and he turns heads with his unexpected bat speed and ability to put a charge in pitches in the zone, particularly against lefties. However, his bat-to-ball skills can work against him given that he is a free swinger give that he is prone to weak contact against pitches outside the zone. (Spring 2021)

Ceddanne displays good presence at the plate with a good inside-out stroke and good balance.

Rafaela is very aggressive at the plate and needs to be more selective so that he can maximize his contact frequency. (Spring, 2020)

He has great bat speed and sneaky power but has long struggled with expanding the zone, with high chase rates everywhere he’s played. His chase rate in Triple A is at 47 percent, although he’s able to hit a lot of pitches out of the zone and has performed despite his aggressiveness. I think major-league pitchers will figure this out pretty quickly and exploit this weakness, going out of the strike zone as soon as they get ahead, and it’ll be up to Rafaela to adjust to this by swinging at strikes. (Law - Aug 28, 2023 - The Athletic) 

2024 Season: Despite his shortcomings, Ceddanne had a very successful rookie campaign for the Red Sox. Rafaela brought much-needed stability to Boston's struggling defense, sporting an OAA of 5 and DRS of 12 in 634.1 innings in the outfield.

Despite his successes, though, Rafaela struggled at shortstop; he accumulated a -2 DRS and a -7 OAA in 647 innings.

Similar to his glove, Rafaela was up and down with his bat, too. Along with his poor 82 OPS+ and 79 wRC+, Rafaela also had issues with strikeouts, whiffing at a 26.4% clip. However, despite these poor metrics, Rafaela still managed to be a productive hitter. Among AL rookies, he finished in the Top 5 for hits, doubles, home runs, extra-base hits, and RBI (in which he finished in first with 75). (Miles Houston - Oct. 6, 2024)  

2024 Season: Rafaela batted .246/.274/.390 with 23 doubles, 5 triples, and 15 homers. But his OBP was only .274.

Ceddanne provides highlight-reel defense that multiple organizations grade as elite or near elite -- 70 grade. And he has a 60 grade arm. 

Rafaela’s excellent first step in center field, plus speed, fearlessness and creativity offer elite defensive potential. He also can play a solid shortstop. (BAPH - Spring, 2024)

Boston's Minor League defensive player of the year in 2021 and 2022, Rafaela can provide quality glovework with advanced instincts almost anywhere on the diamond. He saw most of his action last year in center field, where he's a Gold Glover waiting to happen with outstanding range along with plus arm strength. He's also a plus defender at shortstop and has spent time at second base, third base and both outfield corners in the past. (BA - Spring 2023)

“You put him in the big leagues right now, he wins the Gold Glove as an outfielder,” said Red Sox infield coordinator Darren Fenster, who worked as minor league outfield coordinator.

Rafaela has all the traits you look for in a utility man.

With his instincts, quickness and solid arm strength, Rafaela can play all over the diamond and did in 2021, starting games in center field, third base, shortstop, left field, second base and right field. He's at least a plus defender in center field and the same at shortstop and third base. He's an entertaining player who has raised his profile with a breakout 2022 season and now projects as a regular. (Spring 2022)

 Rafael's speed shows up in the field where he takes excellent routes and jumps on hard-to-reach contact to the outfield. His arm grades as above average to plus in both the infield and outfield. (A Speier - Baseball America - Spring 2022)

Rafaelo has the chance to relatively solid impact as a versatile up-the-middle player, at least at second base and shortstop with the possibility of future work in center field. (Spring 2021)

Rafaela was introduced to the outfield with Low-A Salem in 2021, was named the organization’s minor league defensive player of the year for 2021, with Red Sox officials describing him as the best defensive outfielder in the system in years.

energy and athleticism were obvious, as was his defensive skill while bouncing around the infield.

The Red Sox wanted to explore an expanded profile for Rafaela and started giving him outfield time in 2021. The result was dazzling, with Rafaela taking to the grass immediately with a combination of an excellent first step, range, instincts and a strong arm.

He emerged as the best Red Sox defensive outfielder in years.

“He has uncanny natural anticipation,” noted one evaluator who suggested Rafaela showed double-plus defensive potential.

Rafaela’s excellent defense in both the outfield and shortstop, second base and third base suggests a clear path to MLB if he can provide some offensive impact. (Alex Speier - Baseball America - May, 2022)

2022 Season: Ceddanne Rafaela, OF/SS

Few Red Sox prospects in recent memory have made the type of jump Rafaela made in 2022. He started the season ranked No. 28 in Boston’s farm system as rated by MLB Pipeline. By midseason, he vaulted all the way up to No. 4. Now? Rafaela is No. 3.

The 5-8, wiry prospect has drawn comparisons to Mookie Betts due to his size and athleticism. Look for Rafaela to play his way up to Triple-A Worcester in 2023. His defensive exploits in center field are already legendary. He is also a plus defender at short. (I Browne - MLB.com - Oct 19, 2022)

Rafaela was my No. 48 prospect in my midseason update, shortly after his promotion to Triple A. He’s an elite defensive centerfielder with experience at shortstop, where he can flash excellent range but is more erratic than he is in the outfield. His defense and speed will allow him to help the Red Sox now, but I’m not expecting much on-base skill from him in the short term. (Law - Aug 28, 2023 - The Athletic) 

Ceddanne has 60 grade speed.

May 12, 2023: Rafaela is known for his Gold Glove-potential defense and serious speed, but he took the latter to the next level over the weekend. The Double-A Portland standout set a franchise record when he stole six bases in one game. He was originally credited with seven, but his ninth-inning grab was later changed to defensive indifference. (Gabrielle Starr)

2023 Season: Rafaela was named the Red Sox Minor League Baserunner of the Year.