Red Sox: Mookie Betts should remain an outfielder in the World Series
Alex Cora and the Red Sox will have a couple tough decisions to make when the World Series turns to the west coast. But leaving Mookie Betts in the outfield should be an easy choice.
The Boston Red Sox are back in the Fall Classic for the first time since 2013! The World Series is one of the most fun championships in all of sports. It provides the fans a chance to see two clashing styles compete for a championship every year, especially when the series bounces back and forth from American League parks to National League parks.
The Red Sox, however, are faced with a good problem to have: Too many hot-hitting outfielders right now. There is no disputing the American League Championship Series that Jackie Bradley Jr had. Nine RBI’s in the five games, including a clutch grand slam and a big two-run home run in Houston.
Bradley has experienced nearly every up and down you can in a single season, there were talks of demoting him to AAA in May, mainly because he was struggling to hit his weight. And while Bradley has only hit .185 this postseason, he has been one of the most clutch hitters in the Red Sox lineup. His .185 average does not match up with his .853 OPS he is carrying into the Fall Classic.
So in what world can you leave a bat like that out of the lineup in the biggest series of your season? The answer is easy: When you have the offensive prowess the Red Sox do in their other three outfielders, there is always an odd man out.
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There has been much discussion heading into the World Series of Mookie Betts playing second base when the series turns to Los Angeles. While it sounds nice, mainly because you can keep Bradley in the lineup, it does not make a whole lot of sense when you take a deeper look.
Forget about the defensive end of the discussion. Boston is going to lose one of its incredible defensive outfielders in this series in Betts or Bradley. If you move Betts to second, you sacrifice a two-time Gold Glove-winning right fielder in a spacious outfield in LA. If you leave Bradley out of the lineup, you are losing one of the best centerfielders in the game. And no, there is no scenario where JD Martinez plays first base.
When thinking of who the Red Sox offensive MVP is this year, it is most likely Martinez. He has filled the hole left by David Ortiz upon retirement. The offense is on a different level when he is in the lineup. Cora cannot risk losing the World Series with his best hitter on the bench for up to three games.
Moving your Gold Glove outfielder to the infield, even though it was a position he played coming up, does not make sense on the biggest stage.
The main thing that the coaching staff will have to determine is who do they have more faith in: Jackie Bradley or Ian Kinsler and Brock Holt? If you play Bradley, both of those guys will be relegated to pinch-hitting duties due to Betts playing second. If you play Holt or Kinsler at second, you trust them to be better than Bradley would be at the plate.
The first two games of the series could help dictate a lot of these decisions. Bradley could have a very good first couple of games and force Alex Cora‘s hand. Or he could struggle again and make the decision easier as well.
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In my opinion, the Red Sox should have Bradley ready for a big role as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement late in games. Bradley’s glove is always going to play, but you need to have him ready to cover a pitchers spot in the batting lineup.
It is going to be all hands on deck late in games in Dodger Stadium. This is a good problem for the Red Sox to have, and Alex Cora will hopefully continue his wizard-like management moves.