BOSTON -- Its hard not to be impressed by what Boston Red Sox top prospect Mookie Betts did in the majors as a rookie last season. In 52 games, Betts showed a keen batting eye, some occasional pop, the ability to make contact and enough speed on the basepaths to present a consistent threat. Consider those qualities and youve got yourself the prototypical major league leadoff hitter. Thats a sentiment that Red Sox manager John Farrell would agree with. Hes clearly a candidate for us, Farrell said of Betts on Saturday at the teams annual Christmas at Fenway event. [Former leadoff hitter Jacoby Ellsbury] did such a great job for us for a number of years and when he signed elsewhere we went through a little bit of a search to get those skills. Whats the best role for Mookie Betts on the 2015 Red Sox? Leadoff hitter and starting right fielder Platoon outfielder as part of a four-man rotation Pinch hitter, backup outfielder Trade bait In the process of that search last season, the Red Sox went through seven different leadoff hitters, with only two options proving they could truly handle the job. The first was Brock Holt, who figures to enter next year as a super utility player off the bench. The second was Betts, who took over the spot after Holt sustained a concussion late in the season. In 22 games out of the leadoff spot, Betts hit .310 with a .388 on-base percentage and low strikeout ratio (16 in 98 plate appearances). And, perhaps more importantly, he showed that he has what it takes to handle the role. Hes got some natural confidence, theres no question, Farrell said. I think, because of that confidence, hes somewhat fearless. Now that doesnt mean hes reckless, but he doesnt balk at the challenge that hes been faced with. The aggressiveness is combined with some overall awareness and thats the thing you see for a young guy thats so exciting is that theres a game awareness that exists that is pretty unique. The issue in simply handing Betts the leadoff role, however, is handing Betts a starting job. Having fully transitioned to an outfielder last season, Betts figures to be fourth on the teams depth chart behind Hanley Ramirez, Rusney Castillo and a healthy Shane Victorino. Of course, plenty could still change before the season starts. For now, Betts has at least caught Farrells eye as an option to jump-start the Soxs offense, something that is a result of what he showed across his several stints with Boston last season. We saw improvement each of the three times he came back to us, Farrell said. That on-base/speed combination to be a little bit of a base-stealing threat. They are rare. Some strength and speed combination doesnt come along with a lot of guys that come to the big leagues.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Dec 2014 14:15:30 +0000
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