The Red Sox All-Star: Who will it be?
By Rick McNair
Jun 21, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Boston Red Sox base runner Mookie Betts (50) rounds third to score against the Kansas City Royals during the sixth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Sly Stallone played the Demolition Man in the movies and Betts played it in a weekend series at “The K” as he shredded KC pitching offensively and dazzled the arguably best defense in the league on the bases.
What’s not to like about Betts? Betts is – by baseball standards – diminutive, but with – drawing a name from the past – a potential “Toy Cannon” like the old Astro Jim Wynn, who was of similar stature to Betts. The ability Betts demonstrated to transfer seamlessly from second base to center field and that wonderful ability to become a crowd favorite even with the opposition are pluses for the 22-year-old Betts.
Looking at the defensive metrics shows Mookie near the top despite a transition that is just a year old. Yeah, he’ll outrun and out quick the occasional mistake, but the kid can play center and a few of his more spectacular moves have been highlighted on Sports Center.
Now if WAR is an end all stat then Betts is ranked number five among AL qualified center fielders. Looking at some of the more exotic metrics such as wOBA, ISO and BsR, Mookie is among the leaders and what stands out is a .453 slugging on the more traditional side.
So Mookie is a possibility.