It’s not unheard of, but it certainly wasn’t expected. That is, Mookie Betts ”“ who started the season playing his first game at the Double-A level for the Portland Sea Dogs ”“ making his major league debut over the weekend for the Boston Red Sox.
Betts started 2013 with the Single-A Greenville Drive in the South Atlantic League, but finished his season playing the last 51 games at High-A Salem, where he helped the Red Sox win the Carolina League Championship.
Making it to the majors in 2015 would have been a little on the fast side, but going from Single-A to “The Show” in less than a calendar year is light speed.
“It’s a quick ascent, no doubt about it,” Red Sox manager John Farrell told the Associated Press on Saturday.
Betts was one of the main attractions at Sea Dogs media day in early April, as he was a rising prospect just reaching the level of the minors where a call to the majors starts to get visible. But at media day, even he didn’t expect to have the year he’s having so far.
“It would be great to have the same year (as last year),” said Betts. “I know that’s going to be tough.
“Just trying to be consistent; that’s the main thing. Just to know that I’m here in Double-A, another step closer, is a great feeling too.”
Betts didn’t take baby steps to the majors once he got to Portland. He hit .355 in his 54 games with the Sea Dogs, collecting more extra-base hits (27) than strikeouts.
Betts also played stout defense at second base, but with his prospect rising at a position locked down by Dustin Pedroia, the Sea Dogs ”“ under direction from the Red Sox ”“ gave him some exposure to the outfield.
Betts played 12 games in center field toward the end of his Double-A tenure, as Jackie Bradley Jr. and Grady Sizemore did little to instill confidence at the position for Farrell.
In his 23 games at Triple-A Pawtucket, Betts started 15 of them in center, with five more at second, and just two in right field ”“ the position he played on Sunday in his major league debut.
While his fielding has been good ”“ he’s yet to commit an error in the outfield heading into play on Monday night ”“ Betts ascended through the minors on the strength of his bat.
Betts reached base in 66-consecutive regular season games stretching from last August to mid-May this year. He reached base in all 23 games he played for Pawtucket, and went 1-for-3 with a walk in his major league debut.
“Just hard work. Just concentrating, focusing on the task at hand and not worrying about everything else around me,” Betts said in April at media day about what made him good at the plate in 2013. “Just thinking about what I’m going to do at this at-bat, and this time, instead of for the future or behind.”
That approach seemed to work for Betts on Sunday, as he got his first major-league hit on a single in his second at-bat after grounding into a double play in his first.
Betts got to learn from one of the best this spring, as he shadowed Pedroia during the early portion of spring training in Florida. While at that point Betts was hoping to follow in his footsteps, now he is simply following him in the Boston batting order.
“Seeing him work this year was really good,” Betts said of Pedroia. “So now I know what I need to do to take care of myself and get prepared for each game.”
Betts was part of a promising opening day infield for Portland, which consisted of Betts at second base, Travis Shaw (now in Pawtucket) at first, highly-ranked prospect Deven Marrero at shortstop, and Sean Coyle at third.
“Hopefully it lives up to the hype,” Shaw said of that infield at media day.
Right now it’s looking like at least individually it might.
Marrero and Coyle have now been named back-to-back Eastern League Players of the Week, an award Betts won earlier this season.
Betts was excited to be Marrero’s double-play partner at the start of the season, as he knew what Marrero’s future held.
“He’s going to be in the big leagues. Maybe I can say ”˜I played with that guy,’” Betts said of Marrero at media day.
It is now Marrero, Coyle and the rest of the Sea Dogs that can say that about Betts, who has accomplished the “meteoric rise” talked about in baseball circles.
“Players tell you when the time has come,” Farrell told the AP. “The time has come, as has Mookie.”
There were dreams ”“ and some expectations ”“ at Sea Dogs media day that Betts would someday soon make his way to Boston. Just three short months later certainly wasn’t what anyone expected.
— Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or sports@journaltribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.
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