Red Sox 2019 Report Cards: Right fielder Mookie Betts
By Sean Penney
Evaluating the 2019 season of Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts and assigning a grade based on how his production lived up to expectations.
It wasn’t quite the MVP performance he put together a year ago but there’s no reason to be disappointed by what Mookie Betts provided for the Boston Red Sox this season.
Betts began the year batting in the No. 2 spot in the lineup in an effort to give him more opportunities to drive in runs. When the Red Sox sputtered out of the gate, manager Alex Cora quickly pivoted by placing Betts back in his familiar leadoff role. Betts would end up leading the majors with 135 runs scored, tied for the sixth most in a single season in franchise history.
His .295 batting average may appear to be a steep fall from the .346 average that won him a batting title last year but it was still good enough to rank 14th in the American League.
The primary factor in any dip in batting average was Betts uncharacteristically struggling against left-handed pitching early in the year. He didn’t hit his first homer against a lefty until June, at which point he was hitting below the Mendoza Line against southpaws. That’s shocking from a player who historically hasn’t shown platoon splits and had actually performed slightly better against lefties in previous years with a career .304 average against them.
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Naturally, Betts figured out the problem and went on to hit .325 in the second half, raising his average to only slightly below his career level. He offset any decline with a career-high 13.7 BB% that boosted his on-base percent to .391, which ranked fifth in the league.
Betts fell one home run shy of his third 30+ homer campaign and equaled last year’s RBI total with 80. His .915 OPS was tied for 10th in the league.
The three-time Gold Glove winner remains among the elite in right field. Betts ranked third in the league among outfielders with 15 defensive runs saved and 10 assists.
He’s an exceptional base-runner but his 16 stolen bases were nearly half as many as last year and his lowest since his abbreviated rookie season. The emergence of Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts limited the opportunities for Betts to swipe a bag. Why risk stealing second when the bats behind you are battling for the league-lead in extra-base hits?
Grade
Mookie Betts. A -. . Right Field.
Betts set the bar high with his MVP campaign in 2018. Are we really going to hold it against him that he couldn’t replicate one the greatest single-season performances in franchise history? Some regression was expected and based on reasonable projections, Betts came relatively close to delivering.
He’s one of the games’ best five-tool talents and Betts ranked seventh in the majors with 6.8 WAR. His teammates on the left side of the infield stole the spotlight by smashing expectations but Betts remains Boston’s best all-around player.
Future Outlook
The $20 million Betts earned this year set a record for players in their second year of arbitration and he should shatter Josh Donaldson‘s record of $23 million for any arbitration-eligible player in his final season before he hits free agency. He’s projected for $27.7 million and nobody will be surprised if Betts asks for more.
Betts has made it abundantly clear that he isn’t interested in an early extension since he believes waiting for free agency will maximize his earnings. The uncertainty of the team’s ability to keep Betts in a Red Sox uniform along with his staggering salary projection has many speculating that he’ll be traded this winter but that would be a huge mistake.
dark. Next. How Red Sox can duck tax and still contend
The worst kept secret in baseball is that the Red Sox are desperate to dip below the luxury tax next season. This doesn’t mean they can’t afford Betts. They need to reset the punitive penalties for one year to clear a path for Betts’ mega-contract. This organization will do everything in their power to keep Betts in Boston but since they can’t lock in a guarantee now, his future remains murky.