Fair or not, Alex Verdugo always will be compared to Mookie Betts. Such is life when you’re part of a trade involving an MVP in the prime of a potentially Hall of Fame career.
However, if you leave out all the context and focus strictly on numbers, comparing the two players actually makes some sense.
Boston Sports Info on Tuesday compared Betts and Verdugo over their first 987 Major League Baseball plate appearances. The results might surprise you.
Take a look:
Now, none of this is to say that Verdugo, 25, is better than Betts, or that he’s on a similar career trajectory. Ultimately, since eclipsing 987 plate appearances, the 28-year-old Betts has become one of the five best players in baseball. What the future holds for Verdugo remains to be seen.
Plus, their careers aren’t aren’t totally analogous. Verdugo played sparingly and even was sent down once over his first three years in the big leagues, whereas Betts never looked back after his 2014 promotion, becoming an instant star.
Still, it’s a fun exercise.
Currently, Betts is the better fielder (not by much, though), is faster and generally authors more “wow” moments. However, since joining the Boston Red Sox last year, Verdugo has been a dynamic player in his own right.
This season, the two have been fairly equal, with the edge potentially going to Verdugo.
In 66 games, the Red Sox outfielder is hitting .289 with nine homers and an .804 OPS. In 61 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Betts is hitting .252 with nine home runs and an .829 OPS.
The Betts trade will be debated for years to come, as it should be. But, at this point, the Red Sox can confidently say they received at least one really good Major Leaguer in the deal.
