Fans of the Boston Red Sox have seen plenty of superstars pass through Fenway Park over the decades. The likes of Jim Rice, Carl Yastrzemski, Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz, and Dustin Pedroia, to name but a few, have all earned their places in baseball history. Some, such as Pedroia, were products of the Sox’ farm system. Recently, the Red Sox have seen a good number of highly-rated prospects rise through the ranks very quickly, the latest being 21 year-old outfielder Mookie Betts.
Preceding Betts in the prospect parade were outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. and shortstop Xander Bogaerts. Though both of their debuts in the majors were widely anticipated, they were praised for very different aspects of their game in the minors. Bradley was seen as a solid, if unspectacular, hitter and an artist in the outfield. Bogaerts, on the other hand, was thought to be the next great power-hitting shortstop, even if his defense was still raw, to say the least.
Since breaking into the majors, however, neither has lived up to their respective billings. While Bradley Jr. has shown that he is already one of the best defensive centerfielders in the game, his hitting has been far worse than expected. His career average with Boston is a paltry .210, and he is currently on assignment with AAA Pawtucket to help rebuild his confidence at the plate. Bogaerts has also failed to hit as expected. After a strong showing for the Red Sox in the World Series last season, he struggled to carry his momentum with the bat into 2014, though he has shown flashes of his potential. He has been playing below-average defense at third base and shortstop, though in fairness the switch may have stunted his development as a defensive shortstop. While it is far too early to deem either of those two busts, one does begin to wonder if Mookie might avoid that particular conversation all together.
What sets Betts apart from the others is the well-roundedness of his game. While not the fielder that Bradley Jr. is, Betts can play multiple positions – he had to learn the outfield this season because he was blocked by Pedroia at second base, his natural position – and is no slouch with the glove himself, as Mark Texiera, and anyone who watched the fourth inning of Tuesday night’s series opener against the New York Yankees can attest. Through four seasons across all levels of the minor leagues, Betts owns a career fielding percentage of .969 and only 41 errors, almost half of which he committed way back when he was still at high-A Salem, in 297 games. He also owns a minor league career batting average of .315 and an on-base percentage of .408. As a hitter, he does not have the natural power of Bogaerts, but he has been praised for the consistency and technical soundness of his swing. That level of refinement could allow him to find a steady footing early in his big league career.
Betts was not an immediate factor when initially called up in June. He struggled at the plate and did not stick with the major league squad for long. He has been up and down between Boston and Pawtucket since then, but his numbers in the majors have slowly been creeping toward the levels he put up in the minors. Through 51 at bats in August, Betts hit .275 with a .383 OBP; a jump of about 100 points in each category from where they sat in June, and that trend has not died down in early September. Betts collected three hits, including a home run, against the Yankees Tuesday night and four of his last five games have been multi-hit games.
I anoint no one in writing this and decide nothing in regard to any player. Boagerts and Bradley Jr. should still be fine players at the very least and Bogaerts in particular has yet to truly show what he is capable of. However, early returns on Mookie Betts suggest that, while he may not have the ceiling of Bogaerts at the plate or Bradley Jr. in the field, he might actually live up to his hype right away. Given a full season of consistent playing time, which he will undoubtedly receive next season, Betts could begin in earnest his campaign to be the next Red Sox great.
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