Mookie Betts

Betts saw his batting average drop 51 points, saw his steals total nearly cut in half, hit fewer homers than he did in 2019, and yet was still a 95th percentile hitter by Statcast measures. Betts' 2019 season should not be looked at in a disappointing lens as much as we should appreciate the amazing level of production Betts brought to the table in 2018. A deeper look into the batted-ball data on Betts shows a slight dip in hard-hit balls, but everything else is very much in line with his overall performance. The main issue is 2018 blows the curve for the numbers. You would be best served looking at 2018 as the best-case numbers for Betts with his career averages being a damn fine baseline to build a roster around. He is one year from free agency and the Red Sox decided they did not want to pay him in his final year of arbitration. The threat of San Diego loomed, but Betts landed in an ideal spot with a February trade to the Dodgers, for whom he should lead off.

If there were any doubts about Betts' status as one of the best hitters in the game after his "down" 2017 season, he put them to rest with his AL MVP campaign. He may not be Mike Trout, but Betts is arguably now the 1B to Trout's 1A heading into 2019. Betts was second to Trout in wRC+ with a 185 mark, and he ranked fourth among qualified hitters in ISO, which is hard to fathom for a player who is 5-foot-9, 180 pounds. Thanks in part to a swing tweak, Betts added a whopping 82 points to his batting average, besting every other qualifier in average by 16 points, and also led the majors in slugging percentage. And even with all that, his most valuable contributions to fantasy owners came on the basepaths, with Betts going 30-for-36 in stolen-base attempts. In an era where steals are way down, his ability to chip in 25-plus bags annually while doing so much else makes him an incredibly rare commodity. Enjoy the ride.

After narrowly missing a 30-homer, 30-steal season in 2016, Betts made for an easy first-round selection heading into his age-24 campaign. Though he again filled out the counting-stats categories nicely, Betts’ 54-point downturn in batting average rendered him a disappointment relative to what many had forecasted. A .268 BABIP partially fueled by a decline in line-drive rate was the main culprit, as Betts’ batted-ball profile otherwise displayed no significant differences from his runner-up MVP season. If the right fielder is able to curb his popouts to some degree, he could notice a swift recovery in average, given that his exceptional speed has routinely allowed him to submit BABIPs above .300 throughout his pro career. Betts’ smallish frame makes it less certain that he’ll reach 30 home runs again, but even in a somewhat down year, he remained a plus power source. Another season of five-category excellence likely awaits Betts, who may only come at a slight discount on draft day with few likely to downgrade him much for the dip in average last year.

The 24-year-old with the slight frame slashed .318/.363/.534/.897 last season -- all career highs -- and cleared the 30-homer mark for the first time in his career. He finished four steals shy of being a 30-30 player, a mark he's likely to threaten in 2017. Betts collected many accolades as a result -- second in the MVP voting, a first-time All-Star, a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger. The forecasts for Betts had him hitting for power, but 31 homers was not in the tarot cards. Unlike his previous season, there were no down periods; Betts hit .266 in April and warmed up as the weather did, hitting .368 in July and .378 in August. It was during those warm-weather months that manager John Farrell dropped him from leadoff to third and fourth in the order, where his bat drove in 39 runs in 48 games. The Red Sox will miss David Ortiz, but Betts has emerged as an unlikely middle-of-the-order presence.

Former Boston general manager Ben Cherington made some roster additions that cost him his job, but his best personnel move is the one he never made. Amid pressure to trade Betts for Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels, Cherington held his ground and it paid off for Boston. Betts has become one of the more dynamic players in MLB. In mid-June, Betts was hitting .234 with a .659 OPS. From that point on, he hit .329 with a .925 OPS. Betts evolved as a dangerous leadoff hitter who added a power element to his game, finishing third on the team with 18 homers and third with 77 RBI. The 22-year-old’s added power was the result of a change in approach that had him swinging at more pitches, though that cost him some on-base ability (.341 OBP). Betts has an elite power/speed combo with good defense at a premium position. He will continue to hit leadoff and may move to right field if Jackie Bradley remains with the team.

Betts appeared at three levels in 2014, eventually finishing the season as a regular outfielder in Boston. He had two stints in Boston and it looked like he wasn't ready for the show in each. It appeared the Red Sox may have rushed him, particularly defensively as Betts had little on-the-job training after moving from second base to outfield. There's still some work to do in the field, but the offense he showed at every level of the minor leagues eventually played at the major league level. Betts hit .317/.388/.462 (.849 OPS) in 116 plate appearances in September. Betts is probably the best option on the team to hit leadoff, a spot of trouble for the Red Sox last season until Brock Holt stabilized it. Look for Betts to get a ton of work in the outfield in spring training to the point where Boston feels comfortable taking him north to play on the grass at Fenway Park.

Betts, a fifth-round draft pick in 2011, was the organization's breakout prospect in 2013. He began the year at Low-A Greenville, initially struggled but maintained a good plate approach and kept his on-base percentage up. He eventually found his groove and had a 19-game hitting streak as well as a 33-game on-base streak. Betts hit 15 homers, had 81 walks and stole 38 bases in stops at Greenville and High-A Salem. With a good swing and the ability to work counts it's easy to see why the Red Sox like him. With Dustin Pedroia presumably the second baseman in Boston for years to come, Betts may eventually switch positions -- he played shortstop in high school. But that decision won't be made until later. The Red Sox like to challenge their prospects, so we might see Betts begin the season against older competition at Double-A Portland.

Betts, a fifth-round draft pick out of high school in 2011, went professional after committing to play for the University of Tennessee. He's an athletic infielder with an ability to impact games with his legs. He stole 20 bags in 71 games for Short-Season Lowell in 2012. Betts has a nice swing that should produce line drives as he learns to manage the strike zone and improve his pitch recognition. He projects very little power potential, but could develop as a gap-to-gap hitter. Presently, Betts gets his bat on the ball, but it's not always solid contact. He'll be pressed to improve his good-contact rate in his first year of full-season ball at Low-A Greenville.