Right Field in Boston Belongs to Mookie Betts

Sep 1, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts (50) points to left fielder Yoenis Cespedes (not pictured) after he scored on his RBI single eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Mookie Betts is one of those players scripted to become very popular in Boston with Red Sox fans. Standing at only 5’9 with 155 pounds weighing him down, Betts is built like a player who could turn into a pest for opposing teams. He’s also lucky that he has a lot of baseball skill.

Maybe the most valuable ability in his arsenal, Betts can play all over the field. So far his major league career has included games at second base, center field, and right field with some early appearances at shortstop during his minor league career.

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It’s right field where Betts is going to start the majority of his games in 2015. The position belongs to him with only veteran Shane Victorino challenging to take over. Betts’ .291 average and .368 OBP in his rookie 2014 season make it a steep hill for Victorino to climb if usurping right field from Betts is on his mind.

Last year, Victorino only played 30 games and had just a .268 batting average. The poor performance can be blamed on nagging injuries and a bounce back season is not a ridiculous idea. However, Victorino will play the season at the age of 34. Victorino’s best chance at taking over in right field as an everyday player is Betts going down with an injury or a having really bad season to the point Jackie Bradley Jr. laughs at him behind his back.

While the sample-size we have seen from Betts with the Red Sox is very limited, it has been rather impressive. One thing to really like about him is his patience. Betts drew 21 walks in 213 plate appearances. In 2013 with 532 plate appearances, Victorino only walked 25 times.

As the projected leadoff hitter for the Red Sox in 2015, this patience is going to be crucial. Betts is ideal for this role considering he saw 4.34 pitches per plate appearance in 2014. Not that they’re competing to hit leadoff, rather just for right field, it may still put things in perspective to know that Victorino has never reached an average of 4 pitches per plate appearance in a season.

Had Betts qualified, he would have finished second in pitches per plate appearance in 2014. Among those with enough at-bats eligible, only Matt Carpenter of the St. Louis Cardinals saw more pitches at 4.37 per plate appearance.

The only downside to Betts in right field over Victorino is defense. Victorino won a Gold Glove as recently as 2013. Betts remains a bit of a mystery in terms of his defensive skills in right field. He has only has 16 total games as a professional in right field with 4 of them at the minor league level. Primarily, whenever he plays the outfield, Betts calls center field home.. This is a position he has yet to commit an error at in 177 chances between the major leagues and minor leagues. In 2015, we will see if he’s able to translate this over to right field and deal with the sometimes difficult outfield corner at Fenway Park.

Next: Quantifying Miggy's Value to the Tigers

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