Competition Brewing in Center for Boston Red Sox

Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

As spring training progresses for the Boston Red Sox, all eyes will be on the trio of outfielders competing for the starting job in center field this season.

Rusney Castillo, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts are all battling for the lone remaining spot in the Boston outfield.

It’s already been made clear that Hanley Ramirez is the team’s starting left fielder and Shane Victorino will start in right as long he’s healthy. When assessing the open center field job, all three candidates are more than qualified and each of them bring a unique skill set to the table.

So how will it all play out in 2015?

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One would have to assume that it’s Castillo’s job to lose based on his exorbitant contract alone. The Red Sox inked the highly-touted Cuban to a $72.5 million contract this past summer. A man making that kind of money isn’t going to sit on the bench for long, especially in a baseball market like Boston.

Clearly the team has high expectations for Castillo, but he’ll have to prove his worth with the blossoming Betts challenging alongside him. It’s safe to say Castillo is in need of more playing time before he can perform consistently on a daily basis at the major league level.

Betts bounced back-and-forth between the minors and majors in 2014, but he was dynamite in the 52 games he did appear in for Boston. He proved to be a legitimate presence at the dish, hitting .291, clubbing five homers and driving in 18 runs. Betts swiped seven bags and struck out just 31 times in 213 plate appearances.

One can only imagine how potent Betts could be if last year’s small sample size was stretched out over the course of a full 162-game season. That’s not mention his ability to flash leather. In 28 games in center, Betts posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage and didn’t commit an error. It’ll be awfully hard to overlook Betts for the job, assuming he continues to make strides in terms of development this Spring.

Then there’s Bradley, a curious case to say the least. He batted just .198 last season, but his defensive play in center earned him a spot among the American League Gold Glove finalists. With Ramirez making the transition to the outfield and Victorino now aging, Bradley’s range in center could prove invaluable.

Bradley’s prior inexperience at the plate is his only downfall. He only had 549 at-bats above Single-A ball before being called upon by Boston. If he still shows growing pains at the dish this Spring, a trip to Pawtucket to start the season may be the route to take.

Bradley, along with Castillo and Betts, all have minor-league options factored into their contracts, meaning any one of them could be sent to Triple-A to start the season. Lets not forget Daniel Nava and Allen Craig are also gunning for playing time in the outfield.

Thankfully, the Red Sox have over a month to sort this developing dilemma out. When it’s all said and done though, it’s likely one of the three candidates for center ends up in Pawtucket.

I envision Betts getting the nod in center come opening day. He left myself and every other Boston fan with a burning desire to see more at the end of 2014. At just 22 years of age, the sky is the limit. I think Castillo will make the final roster and be rotated into the mix until he proves himself. Bradley will likely be sent down to hone his craft at the plate though, I see him making his way back to Boston at some point during the season.

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