A year-by-year look at Mookie Betts’s career with the Red Sox
A look back at Betts’s career in the Red Sox organization:
June 2011 — Taken in the fifth round of the MLB draft out of John Overton High School in Nashville, Betts was the 172nd overall selection. He rescinded a scholarship offer from the University of Tennessee and signed a $750,000 contract with the Red Sox.
2012 — After a brief stint with the Gulf Coast League Red Sox in 2011, his first full year of professional baseball came with the Lowell Spinners. He finished the season with a .267 batting average and 20 stolen bases in 71 games while playing shortstop and second base.
2013 — A big year for Betts, as he started to show real offensive prowess, all while moving from Low A Greenville to High A Salem. His finished the year with a combined .314 average, 15 homers, and 38 stolen bases. For his efforts, he was named Offensive Player of the Year and Breakout Player of the Year in Boston’s minor league system.
2014 — Betts started the year at Double A, but another fast start had him in the majors by the end of June. On June 29, he picked up his first big league hit, and connected for his first career homer a few days later.
He was up and down between Boston and Pawtucket for the rest of the season, but finished strong with the big club. A late-season push for playing time included his first career grand slam. At 21, he became the youngest Sox player to connect for a grand slam since Tony Conigliaro in 1965.
He ended up playing 52 games in Boston, hitting 5 homers and adding 18 RBIs to go with a .291 average.
2015 — In his first season as an everyday player at the major league level, he didn’t disappoint. Betts kicked things off in the home opener with a pair of steals, a homer, and a catch that robbed Bryce Harper of a home run.
He finished with 18 homers, 77 RBIs, a .291 average, and 21 steals, and finished 19th in the voting for AL MVP. Late in the year, he moved to right field full-time to allow Jackie Bradley Jr. to become the everyday center fielder.
2016 — A first-time All-Star, Betts was now undoubtedly one of the rising stars in the game, finishing runner-up to Mike Trout in the MVP voting. He finished the season with a .318 average, 122 runs, 31 home runs, 113 RBIs, and an MLB-leading 359 total bases.
2017 — In a season when his numbers took a slight dip — .264 average, 101 runs, 26 stolen bases, 24 homers, and 102 RBIs — he was still in the MVP conversation because of his defense (he won a Gold Glove) and his ability to get on base.
He also had a remarkable streak of 129 consecutive plate appearances without a strikeout, the longest streak by a Boston hitter since Denny Doyle in 1975.
2018 — The greatest year of his career to date, and one of the finest seasons by a Boston outfielder in franchise history. He had 32 homers, 80 RBIs, a .346 average, and 30 steals, as well as a Gold Glove, all while helping lead the Red Sox to a world championship. It was no surprise when he was named the AL MVP.
2019 — While the Red Sox were unable to replicate the magic season they enjoyed the year before, Betts was still one of the best in the game, ending the year with 29 homers, 80 RBIs, a .295 average, and 16 steals. He took home another Gold Glove and Silver Slugger, and earned his fourth consecutive berth in the All-Star Game. He finished in the top 10 in AL MVP voting for the fourth straight year.
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