The Boston Red Sox have found themselves a bona fide MVP candidate in right fielder Mookie Betts. A former fifth-round draft pick, Betts has come a long way to where he is today.
It’s hard to imagine that only a year ago, the Red Sox were bracing for a second consecutive last-place finish in the American League East. The Pablo Sandoval experiment didn’t go as planned, playing Hanley Ramirez in left field turned out to be a terrible decision, and the rotation was stacked with mediocre No. 3 starters. While a young core was still emerging, no one expected Boston to turn things around so quickly.
Over the offseason, the Sox went out and signed David Price to a record setting seven-year, $217 million contract to solidify the top of that disaster of a rotation. While Price has seen his fair share of ups and downs this season, the Red Sox have turned into World Series contenders anyway. The biggest reason for that? 23-year-old right fielder Mookie Betts.
The Red Sox drafted the Nashville, Tennessee, native as a middle infielder in the fifth round of the 2011 amateur draft. Betts, who had previously committed to the University of Tennessee, agreed to forgo his scholarship and signed a $750,000 contract. He moved through their minor league system at a moderate pace, reaching AAA Pawtucket early in the 2014 season.
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While he posted an .880 OPS across nearly 300 minor league games during his time as a prospect, Betts didn’t make it very high in national prospect rankings. Baseball America ranked him at No. 75 in 2014, but that was the highest he ever got. He was able to fly relatively low on the radar, that is, until he broke into the major leagues. Betts made his MLB debut on June 29, 2014, and put together an impressive stretch run to close out the season, hitting .291 with 18 extra-base hits in 52 games.
Earning a spot on BA’s 2014 All-Rookie Team the following offseason, Betts was finally beginning to garner national attention. Manager John Farrell slotted him into the leadoff spot and center field on Opening Day the following season, and the rest is history. Since the start of 2015, only Jose Altuve has more hits than Betts. Mike Trout and Josh Donaldson, the winners of the previous two AL MVP awards, are the only players to score more runs over that span.
In 2016, Betts has been at the forefront of an offense that is going to score at least 100 runs more than any other team in baseball. His .320/.365/.538 slash line speaks for itself, but his 119 runs scored, 112 RBI and 31 homers make him a strong candidate for MVP. While it remains to be seen whether or not he can beat out the likes of Trout, Donaldson and teammate David Ortiz, Betts clearly has a bright future ahead of him that will keep the young outfielder in the conversation for years to come.
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