Rafael Devers may not have been personally satisfied with his 2023 performance, but he’s a Silver Slugger again nonetheless.

Devers easily out-slugged the competition in his age-26 season. He led American League third basemen with 33 home runs, 100 RBI, a .500 slugging percentage, .851 OPS, and 67 extra-base hits. He also led all AL hitters with 252 hard-hit balls.

“I would say it was just average,” he told the Boston Globe last month. “I know that I have so much more to give and more potential. If you take a look at the numbers, it was just an average season.”

“Average,” by Devers’ standards, means leading the Red Sox in homers, RBI, and hits (157). He also showed more patience at the plate than in years past, drawing 62 walks, second only to Triston Casas (70), who was a Silver Slugger finalist, but lost to Yandy Díaz.

Devers joins Wade Boggs as the only two players in franchise history to win multiple Silver Slugger awards at third base. However, the overall totals belie an inconsistent season. There were peaks, like his 10 home runs in April, but also far too many valleys, such as when he went homer-less for 16 consecutive games between May 20 and June 8.

“I think, mechanically, he’s been kind of off the whole season,” Alex Cora said at the end of August. “God bless him, right? You put up those numbers and you don’t feel right.”

Devers also has to adjust to being the main face of a franchise that, for much of the century, was led by a much louder personality. “He is shy!” David Ortiz said at spring training. “He’s like a big kid.”

Indeed, there’s something beautiful about the fact that “Carita” (his nickname, which means “Baby Face”) has and wants to hold onto his youthful exuberance. As much as things have changed for him over the last year – losing his role model, Xander Bogaerts, and becoming the highest-paid player in Red Sox history – he is determined not to change in the ways that matter to him. At Winter Weekend in January 2023, he spoke about still feeling “really young,” preferring to lead by example, and respecting to more veteran players, as is tradition and custom in baseball.

Yes, the growing pains were evident this year for the man who still feels like a big kid at heart.

But if this is what qualifies as a disappointing season at the plate, the Red Sox can’t complain too much.