Defending a World Series title is no easy task.
No team has won back-to-back championship in Major League Baseball since the New York Yankees won three straight from 1998-2000, the longest drought of defending champs in baseball history.
As if that weren’t already a big enough task for the Red Sox in 2019, their star-studded trio of outfielders is chasing something that never has been done before.
Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. both won American League Gold Gloves, while Andrew Benintendi also was nominated for the award last season.
This year, they want the clean sweep.
It’s never been done before, but according to MLB.com’s Ian Browne, the trio believes they have what it takes to complete the trifecta.
“Any time you’re the first, it’s something special,” Betts said. “We definitely have the crew to do it. We almost did it last year. If we put in our work, we’ll have another chance at it.”
“It’s never happened? That would be pretty cool. It’s something we’ll work for,” Benintendi added.
Benintendi, who lost out on his first Gold Glove to Kansas City Royals’ Alex Gordon last season, might not get the credit he deserves for his ability to play the outfield, especially in front of the Green Monster for half the season. But he showed his big-play ability in abundance in the playoffs last year.
Manager Alex Cora knows the value of his outfield as a collective unit.
“I do feel that outfield is an advantage for us, because if you hit it in the air, it better go out of the ballpark,” Cora said. “If it hangs just a little bit, they’re going to make plays.”
It’s hard to deny the Sox have the best defensive outfield unit in the league, given two-thirds of it are reigning Gold Glovers. Should they successfully complete their goal for 2019, it surely would catapult them into a conversation of the best outfields of all time.
