The most prominent name that should rise like dough in any fan’s brainpan is Mookie Betts. Betts has already established a nice base with his bona fides led by a batting title and MVP Award. As a five-tool player, Betts brings it all and that means stellar defense and exceptional speed. Projections are difficult since an injury and poor performance is always possible – just think Andrew McCutchen.
Betts continues to impress to the point of where 2019 is considered by some to be a down year. A 6.8 bWAR, another Gold Glove, another Silver Slugger, an All-Star selection, and leading the league in runs scored (135) is the kind of “down year” virtually every player would have on their wish list. Baseball in days gone by had a measurement tool of runs scored as defining a great player. Betts is a run-scoring virtuoso.
Betts becomes a conundrum for the Red Sox with the stated management objective of slashing payroll and allowing a generational player to simply be traded for a dime on the dollar or go as a free agent. Players like Betts are a rare find as a top-notch catalyst, but in today’s game shifting of star magnitude players is no longer an exception. Betts is certainly a lock for the HOF with another five to seven years of similar production.