Imagine being a 20-year-old born in the coastal town of Sanchez, Dominican Republic, where the temperature has never, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, been below 59 degrees.

And imagine a New England April, and settling down in Portland, Maine, where the average low for the month is 35 degrees and a record low was recorded at 13 below zero.

And then forget it all.

For Rafael Devers, known as “Raffy” in the Red Sox organization, none of it has seemed to matter.

Devers, a 20-year-old Dominican prospect now playing his baseball against opponents who on average are more than four years older, has brought his own heat to Portland.

Entering Friday, the third baseman was hitting .297 with 17 doubles, 14 homers and a .924 OPS, ranking him among the top five hitters in the Eastern League. All four players above him are 23 years old.

“I think generally he’s had a really good season,” said Ben Crockett, the Red Sox vice president in player development. “He’s a 20-year-old in Double A, dealing with one of the more extreme Double-A climates being up in Portland. And coming from a warm weather past — and we all know it can be tough on anybody.

“For him to have the success he had early in the season, at that age, against much older pitchers, has been really encouraging.”

Weather can be a big adjustment for players from warm climates. Just ask Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts, who had two homers in his first 64 games of the 2017 season.

On Wednesday, the first day of summer and longest day of the year, the Aruban hit his third homer in a four-game stretch.

Of Bogaerts’ 46 career home runs, 33 of them have come in June or later.

“When the weather heats up is when I pretty much go,” Bogaerts said recently. “It’s kind of tough for me to hit. I don’t even have this weather at home. So for me, I always said it’s been tough for me to hit in the beginning. Once the weather starts heating up, my body feels so much looser. In the cold sometimes I’m hitting up there and I feel pretty stiff. Just trying to make contact because I know I don’t have the power at that time.”

Inhospitable weather and all, Devers’ power has been there for most of the young season. He hit two homers in April, six in May and had already hit six in June heading into play Friday. He had 15 extra-base hits through his first 18 games this month, hitting .319 in the process.

“It’s been a really positive year,” Crockett said of Devers. “He’s learned a lot. Playing with older teammates, more experienced guys, it’s a different life experience. I think it’s been great for him. The staff, with manager Carlos Febles, has done a great job being consistent with him. He’s a great worker. He’s passionate and cares about what he’s doing.”

So why isn’t he playing for the Red Sox already?

For some perspective: The Sox rank last in the majors with a .577 OPS from third base, and last with minus-1.2 WAR. Pablo Sandoval hasn’t hit, nor has he fielded his position with any confidence. He’s now on the disabled list with an ear infection, leaving third base to Deven Marrero (career .593 OPS in the majors) and Josh Rutledge (career .695 OPS).

So desperate are the Sox at third base that they signed 35-year-old Jhonny Peralta to a minor league contract on Friday. A former steroid user who drew criticism from players for signing a four-year, $52 million deal one year after being busted in the Biogenesis scandal, Peralta was hitting .204 with a .462 OPS with the St. Louis Cardinals before he was released earlier this month.

Even at 20 years old, without a game of experience above Double A, Devers could at least match that production, right?

“He’s in a good spot right now,” Crockett said. “He’s a guy that’s really talented. And somebody that’s also very young. I think he’s a guy we like a lot and we’re going to make the best decisions to put him in the best position possible.”

Why can’t that be the major leagues?

Generally, the Red Sox have been hesitant to call up prospects unless they’re going to play every day. They seem to have changed their mind on first base prospect Sam Travis, using him in a platoon with veteran Mitch Moreland, but full time or no time has otherwise been a theme in recent years.

“It’s very much the individual situation, even if it’s a weeklong opportunity,” Crockett said. “Where is the player in his development process? Is he in Triple A waiting for the opportunity? Does he still have developing to do in the minors? Is he going to be a role player eventually or an every day? There are a lot of factors.”

Third base is wide open. The Red Sox could use Devers. But to get back to the main point that Crockett, a Harvard grad in his 11th year working for the club, is trying to make: What is best for the player?

If Devers still needs developing and he’s rushed to the majors out of need, how detrimental is that for the player?

In recent cases, the minor league production has typically predicted performance for the youngest of major leaguers.

In the past five years, only seven position players have begun their MLB careers at 20 years old. Two of them — shortstop Carlos Correa of the Astros and third baseman Jose Ramirez of the Indians — have already received MVP votes. Another, Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor probably should’ve gotten votes for his 33-homer, 14-steal campaign last year.

As for the others, Bogaerts has made an All-Star team and won two Silver Sluggers with the Red Sox. And Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco has hit about as well in the majors as he did in the minors (.714 OPS vs. .757 OPS).

Arguably, only two of the seven — second baseman Raul Mondesi Jr. of the Royals, and second baseman Dilson Herrera of the Mets — have disappointed. Mondesi is hitting well again in the minors, while Herrera’s growth was stunted.

There’s always that risk. The Red Sox have to decide if it’s worth it with Devers.

So far, he’s checked off all the boxes. He’s hit at every level. He’s impressed with his poise during spring training appearances. He doesn’t give away at-bats — he drew back-to-back walks in the final two innings of a blowout exhibition loss to the Orioles in March, including a walk with two outs in the ninth. And his defense at third has, according to multiple observers, been surprisingly good in Portland for a player his size — 6 feet, 195 pounds.

“He’s been playing really good defense this year,” Crockett said. “I know it continues to improve, but he was one of our better defenders last year at third base and he’s proving to be a pretty darn good defender over there. He’s athletic. Somebody we feel really good about.”

There were questions about his defense in the past, but those seem to have faded.

“He’s our defender of the year in the minors last year,” at High-A Salem, Crockett said. “I know there are different perspectives on it. But we feel really good about him.”

The Red Sox have been hanging at the top of the AL East standings despite disastrous performances at third base. But as the trade deadline nears and other contending teams around the league get stronger, the Red Sox must do the same.

All indications are that they’ll look to acquire a third baseman, if possible. But given that they don’t have a ton of prospects remaining to trade away, it would seem difficult to find the perfect match.

Todd Frazier is in his last season with the rebuilding White Sox, who would surely be looking to get younger, but Chicago reportedly asked about Devers in the Chris Sale trade last December and was denied. It would make little sense for the Red Sox to make the swap now.

So they’ll probably wait it out. Maybe a perfect opportunity lands in their lap.

If not, Devers appears ready to compete, regardless of the weather.

Chavis steps up his game

From bust to breakout goes the story of Michael Chavis.

Drafted in the first round at No. 26 overall out of Sprayberry High (Georgia) in 2014, the undersized shortstop was a gamble for the Red Sox. And until this year, it looked to be a sure-fire miss, with Chavis hitting just .237 with a .684 OPS in 2016. Still in Salem as a 21-year-old this year, the light bulb finally came on.

Hitting .318 with 17 doubles, 17 homers and a whopping 1.029 OPS through 59 games, Chavis, now playing third base, was promoted to Portland on Thursday.

“He’s had a great first half,” Crockett said. “When you take a high school right-handed hitter in the first round, obviously our scouts did a great job and really understood the kind of upside he could have offensively. This year he’s really starting to put that together.

“His approach at the plate is much more consistent. His process and routines are further polished from where they were last year. He’s starting to understand himself. He has great bat speed and power, so he doesn’t need to seek those things. He can just focus on being a good hitter. When he takes a good swing on the ball it’s going to go. He’s done a really good job focusing on who he is.”

Chavis will spend most of his time at designated hitter in Portland, though he will play some third base. He was dealing with an elbow injury early in the season, so some time away from throwing won’t be the worst thing.

Devers will continue to get the majority of the reps at third, though a promotion to Triple-A Pawtucket could be on the horizon, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said on Friday.

First dibs on pitchers

Make that two straight years the Red Sox have selected starting pitchers with their first pick in the draft.

The Sox took 6-foot-5 right-hander Tanner Houck out of the University of Missouri at No. 24 and are betting that he can develop his offspeed pitches to go with a highly-regarded fastball that he dials up in the mid-90s.

“Has a great track record, a lot of success, big strong body, pretty good aptitude,” Crockett said.

The Red Sox haven’t drafted and developed a homegrown starter who stuck since Clay Buchholz, taken in the 2005 draft, but they’re feeling good about their chances with Houck and Jason Groome, the latter of whom they drafted No. 7 overall last year.

“We’re trying to make adjustments to our process,” Crockett said. “Our scouting staff does a great job acquiring. Steven Wright and Eduardo Rodriguez, two guys who came in midway through the (Red Sox minor league) system and were able to be developed and finished off the development in the minors with us.”

Groome returned from a lat injury this week and pitched 21⁄3 innings before rain cut his start short.