The Boston Red Sox gave Mookie Betts the call last season and the prospect spent 52 games with the team. After a jaw-dropping spring training, he'll be the team's starting center fielder in 2015.
Betts played in 15 games this spring and batted .467/.500/.867/1.367 with 14 runs scored, eight doubles, two triples, two home runs, six RBIs and only three strikeouts (48 plate appearances). His batting average ranked second behind Jose Abreu; his on-base percentage ranked third behind Abreu and Mike Trout; his slugging percentage ranked second behind Mike Zunino; and his OPS was tops in the league.
As a result of his success this spring, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal took a trip down to Fort Myers, FL, to talk with Betts' teammates and coaches to get an idea of the direction he's headed. All in all, when Rosenthal's search for answers was complete, the 22-year-old Betts was compared to stars such as Andrew McCutchen, Derek Jeter, Hanley Ramirez and David Ortiz (although the latter two don't deserve too much credit, and you'll see once your read further).
First, fellow outfielder Shane Victorino said Betts reminded him of McCutchen.
"It's a tough comparison to make - Andrew is one of the elite outfielders in the game. But when you see certain things, the way (Betts) goes about playing the game, with that little swag ... there's something about him," Victorino said.
"I saw that at Triple-A (on a rehabilitation assignment last season). And I said, 'Whoa, this guy reminds me of McCutchen.' It's almost creepy."
Next up, hitting coach Chili Davis saw some Jeter in him.
"You know what I love about Mookie? He's got a knack for a young player, kind of like Jeter - no matter where the pitch was, they find a way to get the barrel on the ball. Mechanically, what do you say to a kid who already knows how to do that? He's his own biggest critic. He'll take BP and go, 'That was a terrible BP. That was a terrible round.'"
And to no surprise, Ramirez and Ortiz compared Betts to themselves. Didn't see that coming.
"You remember me," said Ramirez. "I used to steal bases, hit home runs, doubles, triples - whatever the team needed in that situation.
"He can lead off. But he can hit homers. And he can drive runs in. And steal bases. He's a five-tool player."
"This guy, he has my approach at the plate," Ortiz added. "If you don't give him a pitch to hit, he won't swing at it.
"To me, that's better than any other tool for a young position player. It's hard to be selective at that age."
In 52 games with the Red Sox last year, Betts batted .291/.368/.444/.812 with 34 runs scored, five home runs, 18 RBIs and seven stolen bases. He'll start in center field and likely lead off for Boston on Opening Day to debut in his first full major league season. Will he be the franchise player many expect him to be?
Here are the Steamer and ZiPS projections for Betts in 2015:
Steamer - .285/.350/.458 with 79 runs scored, 13 home runs 59 RBIs and 24 stolen bases in 128 games
ZiPS - .266/.336/.408 with 88 runs scored, 13 home runs, 65 RBIs and 30 stolen bases in 147 games
Here are the rookie seasons for McCutchen, Jeter, Ramirez and Ortiz for comparison:
McCutchen - .286/.365/.471 with 74 runs scored, 12 home runs, 54 RBIs and 22 stolen bases in 108 games (finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting)
Jeter - .314/.370/.430 with 104 runs scored, 10 home runs, 78 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 157 games (won Rookie of the Year)
Ramirez - .292/.353/.480 with 119 runs scored, 17 home runs, 59 RBIs and 51 stolen bases in 158 games (won Rookie of the Year)
Ortiz - .277/.371/.446 with 47 runs scored, nine home runs and 46 RBIs in 86 games
We'll see how Betts matches up against his comparisons as the season progresses.
