Mookie Betts has superstar potential. Just ask those around him.
Boston Red Sox outfielder Shane Victorino recently compared Betts to Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder and perennial MVP candidate Andrew McCutchen, which prompted FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal to seek the opinions of scouts, teammates and coaches. The overwhelming analysis out of spring training in Fort Myers, Fla., according to Rosenthal, was that Betts has the tools to be very, very good.
“Yes, I do,” a scout told Rosenthal when asked if he buys the McCutchen comparison. “He is a talented player, better than I thought. The only thing he wasn’t top-shelf at was center field, but he is athletic so I give him a chance.”
Betts, who was impressive down the stretch with Boston last season, has been unbelievable this spring. The 22-year-old figures to be the Red Sox’s starting center fielder and leadoff hitter come Opening Day, and it looks like he could be the team’s most dynamic force within a stacked lineup this season.
“It’s a tough comparison to make — Andrew is one of the elite outfielders in the game,” Victorino told Rosenthal. “But when you see certain things, the way (Betts) goes about playing the game, with that little swag … there’s something about him.”
“I saw that at Triple-A (on a rehab assignment in 2014). And I said, ‘Whoa, this guy reminds me of McCutchen.’ It’s almost creepy.”
What does David Ortiz think?
“I’d even go further,” Ortiz told Rosenthal of the McCutchen comparison. “He’s better than McCutchen at that time in McCutchen’s career. Go and double-check that.”
Not to be outdone, Red Sox hitting coach Chili Davis told Rosenthal that Betts’ approach to the game is similar to that of New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter. The Red Sox outfielder always is trying to learn and is willing to make adjustments if he discovers something isn’t working.
“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,” Davis told Rosenthal. “Mechanically, what do you say to a kid who already knows how to do that? He’s his own biggest critic.”
Player comparisons can be dangerous, for obvious reasons. The fact Betts reminds his peers of McCutchen and Jeter, however, speaks to the expectations now surrounding Boston’s budding star.
Thumbnail photo via Adam Hunger/USA TODAY Sports Images
