The high-priced slugger silenced critics by matching a legendary milestone, joining Barry Bonds and Willie Mays in the San Francisco Giants record book.
The San Francisco Giants made a major splash when they went out and acquired Rafael Devers last season.
Obviously, it's a move that has sort of blown up in their face, but they know Devers can still be a huge asset to them moving forward, even if the 2026 season hasn't gone according to plan.
At the end of the day, Devers is rather untradeable as his numbers simply haven't added up to his $313.5 million price tag.
According to Spotrac, he won't become a free agent until the 2034 season, and the Giants are set to pay him exactly $28.5 million every year from 2027-2033.
That said, he did put himself in the same conversation as Barry Bonds and Willie Mays, so there is indeed light at the end of the tunnel.
Devers crushed 48th homer in 222nd game with Giants
NBC Sports Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic shared an incredible statistic, one that shows just how valuable Devers has been, whether Giants fans want to believe it or not.
In franchise history, Barry Bonds and Willie Mays were the only two players to hit at least 48 homers in their first 222 games with the organization.
Now, Devers has joined those two in the record book.
The 29-year-old has homered in back-to-back games, and he's helped lift the Giants to their first pair of consecutive wins in nearly a month.
A series sweep is the next logical step, and that's something that has eluded the Giants this season.
Is there a world where Devers homers in his third consecutive game? Only time will tell, but he's on an absolute heater with six homers in the month of August to go along with his .506 slugging percentage and a rock-solid .843 OPS.
Devers is making the most of his at-bats
It would've been incredibly easy for a veteran like Devers to be checked out knowing this team is only 54-78, but Devers has done the opposite of that.
He continues to be the team's home run leader, and with Willy Adames and Casey Schmitt both on the Injured List, he has a chance to turn his seven-home run lead into a double-digit one, depending on how quickly the team gets their everyday shortstop back.
As it stands, Devers is tied for 14th in the league with his 28 homers this season. He's tied for 28th with his 74 RBIs, but his batting average (.224) is good for only 99th, and his .802 OPS puts him at 118th.
Regardless, he's a 2.2 WAR player, which is the best of any active player on the Giants roster.
