http://www.csnne.com/blog/red-sox-talk/betts-makes-first-fenway-start-center-field
Betts makes first Fenway start in center field
June 30, 2014, 5:45 pm
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BOSTON -- He was a Red Sox rookie making his Major League debut, in Yankee Stadium of all places, yet he didn't seem at all apprehensive.
Turns out he wasn't.
Mookie Betts went 1-for-3 with a walk in the Red Sox' 8-5 win over the New York on Sunday night, knocking a single in the fourth inning, drawing a walk and scoring a run. He credited his teammates with making the transition from minor-league ball a smooth one.
"I feel like everybody here has really helped me a lot," he said. "It made my first game, even though it was in Yankee Stadium, like it was in the backyard. I wasn't nervous at all, just going out and playing. Just knowing they have confidence in me, they have my back -- it's real good."
Betts' manager John Farrell liked what he saw from the 21-year-old, while noting that what he's seen has been a small sample size.
"One game," Farrell said. "I thought he controlled his at-bats very well the other night. Particularly the one at-bat where he walked. I thought he battled inside the at-bat took a couple close pitches. Emotionally I thought he was well under control. Good bat speed. It's one game. He looked OK."
Betts manned right field in the Bronx and will shift over to center field in his first game at Fenway Park on Monday. About two hours before the game, he shagged fly balls off the bat of first base coach Arnie Beyeler and got to know the zig-zagging nooks and crannies of the triangle and the Wall.
Before getting in that practice, he said the staff wasn't asking much of him while patrolling the outfield.
"Just go catch the ball," he said. "That's it."
Since joining the Pawtucket Red Sox earlier this month, Betts has played a majority of his innings in center so he has plenty of recent experience there even though his natural spot on the diamond is at second.
Though Betts was in Portland to start the year, Farrell explained that the organization realized Betts was ready for the big leagues after he ate up pitching at both the Double A and Triple A levels. Defensively his athleticism makes him a trusted option in both center and Fenway's expansive right field.
"I think anytime we take a player from the minor leagues, the player has indicated that his time has arrived based on what he's done at the minor-league level," Farrell said. "In Mookie's case, his ascent through the system has been rapid. He's met or exceeded every challenge and level along the way. And at the same time, with [Shane Victorino]'s re-occurrence of the injury, two situations came together."
Of course playing at Fenway Park in front of a home crowd that has been itching to see the up-and-coming prospect with the memorable name will be a different experience than anything in the minors. Even for Betts, who seemed cool under stressful conditions on national television, was willing to admit that.
"Yeah I've been thinking about that for a while," Betts said of playing at Fenway. "Still gonna think about it for a little bit, and [then] just go out and play."
Betts appears set on keeping the expectations for himself simple -- "Strikeout rate low, walk rate high," he said -- while keeping everyone else's expectations for him just as realistic. He's not going to be the one to single-handedly dig the Red Sox out of the six-game hole in the AL East.
Betts makes first Fenway start in center field
June 30, 2014, 5:45 pm
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BOSTON -- He was a Red Sox rookie making his Major League debut, in Yankee Stadium of all places, yet he didn't seem at all apprehensive.
Turns out he wasn't.
Mookie Betts went 1-for-3 with a walk in the Red Sox' 8-5 win over the New York on Sunday night, knocking a single in the fourth inning, drawing a walk and scoring a run. He credited his teammates with making the transition from minor-league ball a smooth one.
"I feel like everybody here has really helped me a lot," he said. "It made my first game, even though it was in Yankee Stadium, like it was in the backyard. I wasn't nervous at all, just going out and playing. Just knowing they have confidence in me, they have my back -- it's real good."
Betts' manager John Farrell liked what he saw from the 21-year-old, while noting that what he's seen has been a small sample size.
"One game," Farrell said. "I thought he controlled his at-bats very well the other night. Particularly the one at-bat where he walked. I thought he battled inside the at-bat took a couple close pitches. Emotionally I thought he was well under control. Good bat speed. It's one game. He looked OK."
Betts manned right field in the Bronx and will shift over to center field in his first game at Fenway Park on Monday. About two hours before the game, he shagged fly balls off the bat of first base coach Arnie Beyeler and got to know the zig-zagging nooks and crannies of the triangle and the Wall.
Before getting in that practice, he said the staff wasn't asking much of him while patrolling the outfield.
"Just go catch the ball," he said. "That's it."
Since joining the Pawtucket Red Sox earlier this month, Betts has played a majority of his innings in center so he has plenty of recent experience there even though his natural spot on the diamond is at second.
Though Betts was in Portland to start the year, Farrell explained that the organization realized Betts was ready for the big leagues after he ate up pitching at both the Double A and Triple A levels. Defensively his athleticism makes him a trusted option in both center and Fenway's expansive right field.
"I think anytime we take a player from the minor leagues, the player has indicated that his time has arrived based on what he's done at the minor-league level," Farrell said. "In Mookie's case, his ascent through the system has been rapid. He's met or exceeded every challenge and level along the way. And at the same time, with [Shane Victorino]'s re-occurrence of the injury, two situations came together."
Of course playing at Fenway Park in front of a home crowd that has been itching to see the up-and-coming prospect with the memorable name will be a different experience than anything in the minors. Even for Betts, who seemed cool under stressful conditions on national television, was willing to admit that.
"Yeah I've been thinking about that for a while," Betts said of playing at Fenway. "Still gonna think about it for a little bit, and [then] just go out and play."
Betts appears set on keeping the expectations for himself simple -- "Strikeout rate low, walk rate high," he said -- while keeping everyone else's expectations for him just as realistic. He's not going to be the one to single-handedly dig the Red Sox out of the six-game hole in the AL East.
