Right Field: Mookie Betts
One day we may very well put together a list of the all-time greatest Red Sox players at each position and find Mookie Betts locked in at right field. He doesn’t have the longevity to top Dwight Evans yet but if Betts sticks around beyond next season, he’s well on his way to being the best at his position.
Betts has been an All-Star and Gold Glove Award winner in each of the last four years. This streak began in 2016 when he finished as the runner-up for the MVP award. Two years later, Betts would take home the hardware with one of the greatest single-season performances in franchise history.
The 2018 AL MVP won a batting title with a .346 average while also leading the league with a .640 slugging percentage and 129 runs scored. His 10.4 fWAR was the seventh-highest ever produced in a single-season by a Red Sox position player. Betts owns three of the top four fWAR seasons by a Red Sox right fielder.
It was never reasonable to expect him to replicate that performance on an annual basis so we can’t be disappointed that Betts hit only .295/.391/.524 with 29 homers this year.
Betts is one of the best five-tool talents in the game and that’s not changing anytime soon. Hopefully, the uniform he wears doesn’t change either.