Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts may be no Ken Griffey Jr., but that smile they both possess needs to be in the lineup for the team to have a chance.
There is more than just hard work and talent that goes into an iconic baseball player. There’s a swagger that seems to flow from him. A strut in his step and a smile on his face, no matter the situation. Especially when the game’s on the line. Griffey had that smile, that edge that he walked where his confidence shined through, no matter who he faced or what odds were against him, both offensively and defensively. At any moment, failure could have crashed through, but his ability to see himself doing what others couldn’t allowed him to astonish the crowd.
Betts has that same smile. And, while nobody is disputing that the 23-year-old sophomore outfielder has a great journey ahead of him to even conceive being mentioned in the very same sentence as Griffey, in terms of a Hall-of-Fame career, Betts has been proving that his confidence in his abilities can carry him to greatness on any given night.
Which is why it’s so important that Betts comes back to the lineup, and soon.
Deesha Thosar of MLB.com reported that Betts “was out of the starting lineup against the Twins in Saturday’s 11-9 loss for precautionary reasons involving soreness in his right knee. Betts is getting treatment and is day to day, but the club is optimistic about a speedy recovery. Betts’ MRI came back negative and there is no structural damage to his knee.” Thosar also added, “The right fielder said he knew he couldn’t continue playing Friday night after Brian Dozier hit a soft line drive that trickled toward Betts in the fourth. Betts threw Dozier out at second before exiting the game an inning later.”
Betts has been the All-Star leadoff man the Red Sox needed this season, hitting to get on base with some added power as a bonus coming from his 180-pound frame. In his last 64 at-bats, it’s been good to bet on Betts as he’s hit .391 with four home runs and nine RBIs and an on-base percentage of .426. For the season, Betts has crossed home plate for 79 runs, one shy of the MLB lead for leadoff batters held by the Detroit Tigers’ Ian Kinsler. However, Kinsler has only 56 RBIs and 19 more strikeouts. Betts’ season batting average of .308 tops Kinsler and the rest of the majors in the leadoff category as well.
He’s also like lightning on the bases. Betts has stolen 16 bases in 17 attempts this season, running like a man possessed when the urge strikes him.
If that wasn’t enough for his bat, Betts is hitting .342 with runners in scoring position and .367 with two outs. Usually, one would want the hard-hitting heart of the batting order to come up with timely hits in those situations; however, Betts has shown that he’s more than just a baserunner. He’s a run producer in every way.
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From his range in right field, making highlight-reel catches almost nightly, to his fiery bat and aggressive baserunning, Betts has been shining as brightly as the smile that he wears while doing it. The Red Sox are fortunate to have a player like Betts come up through their minor league system, instead of paying through the nose for a free agent, only to be as great as he is and as quickly as he runs. If the knee has held on, Boston will want to see that smile again as soon as possible.