The starting outfield for the Boston Red Sox has a lot of potential for the upcoming season, but there are also some questions about this trio to look at before Opening Day.
As the weather gets warmer, grins begin to get bigger because Spring Training games are about to begin. As of right now, Red Sox outfielders Rusney Castillo, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Mookie Betts are being looked at as the obvious picks to be the starters come Opening Day. But when that magical day comes, there are some questions that people need to ask themselves about “BBC” (Betts, Bradley Jr., and Castillo) before the season is under way.
1. Is Castillo ready to handle the Green Monster?
Now don’t take this question lightly. The Green Monster can be a serious issue to players. A perfect example was Hanley Ramirez last season. It was a complete disaster and it seemed like the Green Monster was the monster of his nightmares all season long. But as much as I’d like to, I can’t blame Hanley that much for not being able to play the wall effectively. Players on the opposing teams have shown difficulty playing balls off the Monster as well. Why do you think Fenway Park is viewed as a perfect example of home field advantage?
We look at our future starting left fielder, Rusney Castillo, and wonder if he will be ready for the 37’2” beast. Castillo, who has been mainly a right fielder in his short tenure in Boston, has shown some moments where he simply doesn’t do the basics. From not catching a fly ball with 2 hands, to not being able to track a fly ball correctly, Castillo had fans shaking their heads at times last season.
Now I understand why the coaching staff decided to move Castillo from right to left. He clearly has less ground to cover with the Green Monster being only 310 ft. down the line from home plate. The Sox hope since he has much more experience playing the outfield, unlike Hanley Ramirez, Castillo will get the hang of the Green Monster quicker and better.
2. Will Jackie Bradley Jr.’s offensive production stay consistent?
Jackie Bradley Jr. came out of nowhere last season during the dog days of August when he hit a slash line of .354/.429/.734. His defense stayed crisp as ever, wowing the crowd with his cannon of an arm and making spectacular catches in the outfield.
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One thing that people have never seen before from Jackie was he finally began to hit the ball the opposite way. In the past, he would always try to pull the outside pitches, which would result into either a ground out or a pop up. During the month of August, when Bradley stopped that dreadful habit, we saw a dramatic turnaround.
But come September, when Red Sox Nation fell in love with JBJ and thought this was the player they’ve been waiting for years now, he hit a slash of .222/.311/.456.
Which brings us back to where we begin. Will we ever see Bradley play like he did last August again? It’s a question that no one can really answer simply because we have seen more disappointment than success from Bradley’s bat.
3. How good will Mookie Betts be this year?
You look at this question and think that there isn’t really an issue. That’s because there isn’t really when it comes to Mookie Betts.
Betts, who played mainly centerfield in 2015, is being moved to right field, giving the center field job to Bradley. Betts has had some time in right field and I personally have no concern for failure when it comes to Betts playing his new position. If Betts can cover the amount of ground he did in center field, then he can cover the same ground in right. Besides, a few years ago, Betts never had a lick of experience in the outfield. He was a second basemen all throughout the farm system. Now look at him. Betts is being looked at as one of the best outfielders in the American League.
I, like so many others, believe Mookie Betts will be a contender for an MVP. That’s pretty special for people to think that of a player who has only played one full season.
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The 2016 Boston Red Sox outfield has a bright future ahead with a handful of young talent. However, we have seen outfielders come and go, so if either Castillo, Bradley Jr., or Betts don’t live up to the hype, you may be seeing someone else doing their job this season.