That offseason, the Red Sox famously brought in future Hall of Fame pitcher and future Hall of Fame-level asshole Curt Schilling to, as it turned out, co-front the rotation. They also brought in Mark Bellhorn, Terry Francona, and maybe even more importantly, Keith Foulke. It was a murderer’s row of talent, from the front office on down. As it turned out, it was just barely enough to get past the Yankees in a second consecutive ALCS Game Seven. That was elation so high it lifted my ankles off the floor.

That two-year period where the Red Sox went from so close to winning to losing to so close to losing to winning represents certainly the most intense rivalry between two teams I’ve ever experienced or endured in my lifetime. And now, dear reader, 200 words into this, here is my point. The rivalry is back, my dudes! . It’s back! The Red Sox and the Yankees are the two best teams in the division, two of the three best in the AL and probably two of the best five or six in baseball. This season, this 2018, is going to be another huge brawl of a season. They got Severino, we got Sale. They got Judge, we got Betts. They got Stanton, we got JD. So I thought it might be instructive to look and see how these two teams stack up against each other, a tale-of-the-tape, if you will, or even if you won’t.

Let’s start here. PECOTA. The PECOTA projections are here and they are spectacular. Though maybe not if you’re the Red Sox. I’ve already detailed how the Sox individual projections maybe aren’t as positive as we’d wish they were, but in the end and as we all know, games are won on the field not inside spreadsheets. Which is good, because PECOTA has the Yankees finishing seven games up on the Sox after winning 96 games. By any measure, 89 wins for the Red Sox would be an unsuccessful season, but that’s where things stand as of now. FanGraphs does their own full season projections as well, and theirs are slightly more favorable to Boston (which makes them worth mentioning). They have the Sox at 93 wins, a game behind New York’s 94. Better, but not what we’re looking for.

So let’s go deeper. Let’s go position-by-position and see who has the advantage. I’ll give you the names and their projected WARP in parentheses.

Catcher

Gary Sanchez (4.4) vs. Christian Vazquez (1.7)

This is one of the Yankees’ biggest advantages. Sanchez is, bizarrely as it is to say, perhaps as good a hitter as Judge. Vazquez is a fantastic defensive catcher, but at this point in his career, that’s mostly all he is.

Picks

PECOTA: Yankees

Matt: Yankees

First Base

Greg Bird (1.5) vs. Moreland/Ramirez (combined 0.4)

We don’t really know what Greg Bird is as a player yet, but he was as highly touted as Judge was prior to the 2017 season, so there’s some nightmare fuel for Red Sox fans. He missed most of last season with an injury and didn’t hit well upon return, but he’s young and talented so much more is expected of him this season. Moreland is Moreland, and it’s still unclear to me why the Red Sox felt it necessary with a glut of talent available on the market, to give him a two year contract. Best case he and Hanley combine to form the two sides of a successful platoon, so that could happen. Or Hanley could remember that he’s actually a great hitter.

Picks

PECOTA: Yankees

Matt: Push

Second Base

Gleyber Torres (0.1) vs. Dustin Pedroia (1.3)

Torres is yet another great Yankee prospect, but for now we don’t know what he is at the major league level. Pedroia is an aging middle infielder coming off of surgery. So who knows on either of these guys.

Picks

PECOTA: Red Sox

Matt: Red Sox

Shortstop

Didi Gregorius (1.7) vs. Xander Bogaerts (1.4)

Ever since he’s put on the pinstripes, Gregorius has continued to get better. Over a similar timeframe Bogaerts’ numbers are going in the opposite direction. I’m still a Xander Believer though, more so than Gregorius who hacks at everything and seems like exactly the kind of hitter the juiced ball turns into something he isn’t.

Picks

PECOTA: Yankees

Matt: Red Sox

Third Base

Brandon Drury (0.4) vs. Rafael Devers (1.8)

Drury is Gregorius with a more boring name. He’s got some pop but he doesn’t take walks and he’s not much beyond average defensively. That’s a fine profile for a team with Sanchez, Judge, and Stanton, but it doesn’t move the needle much either way. Devers might be the second best hitter on the Red Sox. He’s that good.

Picks

PECOTA: Red Sox

Matt: Red Sox

Outfield

Left Field: Giancarlo Stanton (3.9) vs. Andrew Benintendi (2.1)

Center Field: Aaron Hicks (1.2) vs. Jackie Bradley (1.0)

Right Field: Aaron Judge (4.0) vs. Mookie Betts (5.2)

We’re doing outfield together because this is getting long. The funny thing to me is that the Red Sox are a team built on the strength of their outfielders. Their best hitter and maybe their second best hitter are both outfielders. Their best fielders are outfielders. This is an outfield-heavy team. And yet, up against the Yankees, the strength of this Boston team falls back. The Yankees won’t be able to keep up with Boston defensively but they won’t be bad there, and what ground they lose there will more than be made up for with their bats. Good lord, those bats. The “ifs” here are health. The Red Sox players haven’t shown any predilection for missing games to injury, but Stanton and Hicks both have missed significant time over their careers.

Picks

PECOTA: Yankees

Matt: Yankees

Designated Hitter

Brett Gardner (1.8) vs. JD Martinez (2.9)

I don’t actually know who is going to DH for New York, so I picked the best Yankee projection not included in the above sections and put him here. That’s Gardner. But no leftover Yankee is going to hold a candle to J.D. Martinez in the hitting department.

Picks

PECOTA: Red Sox

Matt: Red Sox

I was going to do the pitching staffs as well, but this has already gone on too long. We’ll leave that for next time. For now, the results. Counting the outfield as three separate positions, PECOTA has Yankees 6, Red Sox 3. I have Red Sox 4, Yankees 4 with 1 push.

Any way you slice this, and I’m sure Yankee fans would disagree with my analysis, it’s close. That we know. PECOTA shows that. FanGraphs shows that. Our eyes show that. It’s going to be another fun season. Buckle the heck up.

Every year, Max Rieper of Royals Review at SB Nation runs a simulation of the offseason, asking 30 persons (and associated helpers) to play at being General Manager of all 30 MLB franchises. It’s an enjoyable exercise only tangentially related to reality, where bloggers of all stripes play-act as General Managers, negotiate trades and free agent deals with other real people, and attempt to re-shape an organization int heir own image.

(We also dialed it back to the start of the 2015 offseason, so no Craig Kimbrel trade took place in our alternate reality.)

Last year, I hired a team of brilliant minds from Beyond the Box Score to help me run the Shadow Red Sox. The strategy: attempt to emulate Ben Cherington and company’s massive braintrust, in order to turn around a franchise that went from first-to-worst in a down 2014. We traded for Giancarlo Stanton. We signed Kenta Maeda. We went wild.

Somehow, I was brought back to helm the Shadow Red Sox once again this season. But in the era of Dave Dombrowski, I knew I must play a bigger, better role. Like Dombrowski, expectations were high – my team’s handling of the Red Sox’ faux offseason in the previous year earned praise from most corners of the simulation. I was expected, like Dombrowski, to turn the team around from a bottom-of-the-East finish.

I promised myself that I would stick to a plan.

The plan was a simple one: I would fix the Red Sox using the primary resources at my disposal: the best farm system in baseball (suck it, BP Wrigleyville) and a bunch of cash. I would make the Red Sox relevant, competitive in 2016, but also able to change and adapt if the team did not see immediate success. I was assigned a budget of $204 million, which I think was higher than the real-world budget for the Sox, but not too far off.

Getting into specifics, my plan had a few key components:

•      Trade for an ace
•      Acquire an ace in free agency
•      Fix the bullpen
•      Upgrade in an outfield corner
•      Rid the team of Pablo Sandoval’s contract

Sounds pretty simple, right?

My primary free agent targets were threefold, and they all had something in common: no qualifying offers. They were:

•      David Price
•      Yoenis Cespedes
•      Ben Zobrist

As the simulation was about to start, I reached out to a number of teams for my “trade for an ace” strategy. Since trade talks take actual time, I knew I had to act fast. I reached out to the Indians (Kluber), Mets (pick a guy), Marlins (Fernandez) and Rays (Archer) for initial talks. The Indians weren’t all that excited about Kluber, but talks quickly shifted to Carlos Carrasco or Danny Salazar. They expressed interest in JBJ (actually, almost 10 teams contacted me about him) and Christian Vazquez.

Since I’ve been doing a lot of research on the Indians for an upcoming project, I had a few pet guys I wanted to add to any potential deal. I tried to ask for the moon, in my eyes, by including a top-end prospect as part of the deal as well. After all, I was willing to offer an immediate starter with upside, JBJ and Vazzy.

After a little back and forth, we worked out this deal:

Red Sox acquire Carlos Carrasco, Clint Frazier, Shawn Armstrong, Yandy Diaz, and Mike Clevinger from Cleveland for Jackie Bradley Jr., Christian Vazquez, Henry Owens, Garin Cecchini, and Robbie Ross

I couldn’t believe that I got Frazier in this deal with the Indians’ braintrust: I think he’s a top-25 prospect. So, I had dealt away much of my MLB-ready depth, but I actually ADDED to the team’s prospect stock, acquired a No. 2 starter, nabbed a guy in Armstrong who could be a late-inning reliever, and got flyers on two guys that I think can be good major-leaguers. Great start, and the “best” trade of the offseason, in my view. Oh, and we’re way under the identified $200 million budget.

•      Trade for an ace

(Oh, I exercised options on Ortiz and Buchholz, and non-tendered Cook, Ogando, and Varvaro. But that’s boring)

Elsewhere, chaos ensued. Miami took on loads of money to acquire Lucas Giolito and Trea Turner from Washington (lol). Pittsburgh started a complete teardown (we talked a little about a McCutchen trade).

Now it was time to cut costs.

Red Sox acquire Elniery Garcia from Philadelphia for Allen Craig and Joe Kelly

Allen Craig is making a lot of money, and I did NOT want to pay him. Giving up Joe Kelly was a small price to pay to make him go away, and I took on a prospect I do not feel strongly about. But with Owens and Kelly out of the picture, it was becoming more mission-critical to add another solid starter.

Unfortunately, the free agent market for starting pitching was … it wasn’t good, that’s for sure. We’ll get to more of that later, but no starter is worth more than $35 million per year.

I kept going back and forth with the Marlins about Jose Fernandez, and quickly found out just how much they valued Yoan Moncada. While I really like Moncada, I also really like Jose Fernandez. We worked out a deal focusing on Moncada and Andrew Benintendi, and yes, I know that’s a big package. Before finalizing the deal, I tried to swap out Clint Frazier for Benintendi. I prefer AB to CF, but the Marlins felt the reverse.

Red Sox acquire Jose Fernandez from Miami for Yoan Moncada, Clint Frazier, Michael Chavis, Austin Rei, and Nick Longhi

Ah, now we’re Dombrowski-ing. Two potential top-25 prospects, plus Chavis, plus two other pieces, but suddenly I have my coveted True Ace. And he’s cheap! This is where I start to get greedy, imagining a rotation of Fernandez, Price, Carrasco, Eduardo, and Buchholz. I crack my knuckles. I get to work.

I find out that David Price is in line for a huge deal, one that would eventually be worth $259 million dollars. That’s $37 million per year over seven years.

I slowly back out of the negotiation room.

•      Trade for an ace
•      Sign an ace in free agency
•      Trade for another ace, I guess

I kept in on several free agent pitchers: Zack Greinke would eventually price himself out of my range (more on that in a minute), and I wasn’t high enough on Zimmermann or Cueto to make a major offer there. But, the rotation I now had (Fernandez, Carrasco, Ed, Buchholz, Porcello) would work just fine. I actually, despite talking with others on trades (what can I get for Porcello and cash) and inquiring on mid-level free agents (Marco Estrada!), eventually chose to roll with this rotation. We had six starters (we kept Miley also!), which will be great after Buchholz’s elbow eventually detonates.

New plan: spend loads of money on free agent outfielders. Maybe two. A big upgrade on Rusney Castillo, and a replacement for JBJ. Oh, and maybe I can engage the Marlins on Giancarlo Stanton? Maybe Jason Heyward AND Cespedes?

In the meantime, I started fielding some calls on relievers, and trying to find a taker for Panda. Oh! If I was going to move Sandoval, I’d need a third baseman, right? I considered pushing Hanley over to third, but also was completely willing to roll with Yandy Diaz there to start the season. Then again, that’s not very Dombrowski. Maybe I should ask in on some Pablo replacements?

Red Sox sign Brian Matusz to a two-year, $8 million contract

Bullpen is fixed!

Or … at least we have a lefty. I was very surprised to see him non-tendered, but hey, this gave me another idea. “Can I destroy the rest of the AL East? Can I damage my rivals while making myself stronger.” The answer, eventually, would be a decisive “maybe.”

Red Sox acquire Scott Lieser from Milwaukee for Pablo Sandoval and Javier Guerra

Before you judge me too harshly, keep in mind that at this point, I really thought I could acquire two premium outfielders, or maybe still make a run at Greinke. To do that, I wanted to make sure that I not only had salary space, but that a long, expensive contract could come off the books. That meant ditching Pablo. And the best way to do that, was to package him with a prospect people actually wanted. Guerra’s mostly blocked, but I still would’ve rather dealt him for value … but I consider this selling him for the remainder of Pablo’s contract, or about $75 million.

Red Sox acquire Danny Farquhar from Seattle for Devin Marrero

This is not a value trade. This is an attempt to get another relief arm that could be good, in exchange for a guy who probably has no real role on the team. It was either back to the minors, or lose him in Rule 5. We’ve still got Holt, and we’d get a replacement that I think has a little more upside later.

Red Sox sign Tommy Hunter to a two-year, $10 million contract

In hindsight, I’m afraid I overpaid here. I’m desperate to add live arms to the bullpen, but also to give the team depth and different looks. Hunter’s bad luck on HR in Chicago didn’t faze me, but for this money, I’d hope you could get a .7-win reliever. Not sure that’s Hunter. But he’s an improvement over, say, Alexi Ogando.

We still need an outfielder, and I’ve been sufficiently scared off my top choices. Jason Heyward would eventually get 11 years and over $300 million. Cespedes would get $200 million as well. Alex Gordon took a discount to stay in Kansas City.

Red Sox sign Chris Davis to a five-year, $115 million contract

Meet your new right fielder. If there’s one hallmark of my two-year tenure as Fake Red Sox GM, it’s that you should never be beholden to traditional position restraints … especially when you have a guy who has proven competence outside his normal realm. Davis has been successful enough as a right fielder in Baltimore, that I’m comfortable leaving him there until 2017, in which time Hanley can shift to DH, and Davis can reclaim first base.

… did I mention that Hanley’s getting every opportunity at first base? I gave serious consideration about moving him back to third, just in case the team can’t acquire a decent third baseman – or maybe even trying Davis there for an extended look. Maybe I should go get a third baseman.

Red Sox sign Joakim Soria to a three-year, $33 million contract

Eleven million per season is a lot, and I don’t care how good you are. But despite offering a decent amount for Aroldis Chapman, I really didn’t have any good leads on closers, and closers are typically pretty great relievers. I feel a lot less comfortable giving up prospects for closers than I do money, but this one could sting in year three.

This actually completes the team’s revamped bullpen. I expect it to look something like this on Opening Day:

CL: Joakim Soria
SU: Koji Uehara
SU: Junichi Tazawa
MR: Brian Matusz
MR: Tommy Hunter
MR: Danny Farquhar
MR: Jean Machi
MR: Shawn Armstrong
LR: Wade Miley

It’s not perfect, but it’s a lot better than what we were working with in 2015, and I think a lot of the guys like Layne, Aro, etc. can work in the minors, and you can play a game of “who’s doing well now” versus “oh crap, we have no one good.” No Craig Kimbrel, though … that’s kind of a bummer.

I’d end up exploring a few more moves (Marco Estrada, now that I broke the seal and signed someone with a QO, trading for AJ Ramos, selling Rick Porcello low), but this finalized the pitching staff, more or less.

But this isn’t a Big Dombrowski. We need to convert prospect depth into high-end talent – even more than we already have – to make this a Big Dombrowski. And, ideally, we should crush a rival in the process.

Red Sox acquire Evan Longoria from Tampa Bay for Rafael Devers, Manny Margot, Rusney Castillo, Brian Johnson, and $30 million

There we go. I can certainly see how some people would see this as an overpay, but I still believe in Longoria being a near-elite player on a friendly contract, so I was willing to deal several players who are quite good for him. I’m lower on Castillo and Johnson than most, but I really, really value Devers – I think he could eventually be a star.

That having been said, this is a Dombrowski move. Get someone from a Florida team, who can help you win now. Plus, Longoria is a right-handed bat, meaning that the Sox are now really well-balanced with the additions of both Davis and Longo. It’s a steep price to pay, but the team is very close to having the best lineup in the AL. Eat it, Toronto.

We still have some money left over, right? And with Castillo gone, we definitely need a new outfielder, again. Ben Zobrist could work as a play, but he priced himself very high, going to San Diego for five years and over $20 million per season. Can’t quite compete with that.

Hm. Toronto.

Red Sox acquire Ben Revere from Toronto for Matt Barnes

Barnes still has life in his arm, but Revere is quietly a pretty decent offensive option in left. He’s like a poor-man’s Brett Gardner, now that Gardner’s defense has slipped to normal-human levels. He’s left-handed, which gives the team options. I don’t love him, but I like him. But … the Yankees just boosted their payroll to nearly $300 million by signing Justin Upton and Zack Greinke. I wonder if …

Red Sox acquire Brett Gardner from New York for Ben Revere and Wendell Rijo

Nice. That was unexpected. This means I converted Matt Barnes and Wendell Rijo into Brett Gardner, which I’m pretty sure was the biggest leap out of reality for this team in the entire simulation. I mean … seriously?

But that finalizes my starting lineup, and I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that it is top-3 in baseball, with a fair chance at No. 1.

1.     Mookie Betts, CF
2.     Chris Davis, RF
3.     Evan Longoria, 3B
4.     David Ortiz, DH
5.     Hanley Ramirez, 1B
6.     Dustin Pedroia, 2B
7.     Brett Gardner, LF
8.     Xander Bogaerts, SS
9.     Blake Swihart, C

Time to fill out the roster with our depth choices and backups.

Red Sox sign Shane Victorino to a one-year, $2 million contract

Red Sox sign Ruben Tejada to a two-year, $4 million contract

Red Sox sign Jeff Francoeur and Rene Rivera to minor-league contracts

That should do it. Since Brock Holt is going to be the first backup for, in essence, every position but first base (love you, Travis Shaw), we had to include another infielder, and at least one outfielder. Tejada still has some upside, and can certainly handle short. Shane is as much a nostalgia piece as anything, but I know he can survive in Boston’s outfield. Could’ve used a right-handed hitter on the bench, though. That’s Francoeur’s role, even though he’s not very good. Rivera is catching depth, in case Hanigan or Swihart gets nicked up, plus he can teach framing.

So that’s it. My tentative start-the-season 25-man roster is:

Catcher: Blake Swihart, Ryan Hanigan

Infield: Hanley Ramirez, Dustin Pedroia, Xander Bogaerts, Evan Longoria, Brock Holt, Ruben Tejada

Outfield: Chris Davis, Mookie Betts, Brett Gardner, Shane Victorino

Designated Hitter: David Ortiz

Starting Pitchers: Jose Fernandez, Carlos Carrasco, Eduardo Rodriguez, Clay Buchholz, Rick Porcello, Wade Miley

Relief Pitchers: Joakim Soria, Koji Uehara, Junichi Tazawa, Brian Matusz, Tommy Hunter, Shawn Armstrong, Danny Farquhar

… and that leaves Shaw as the first man up when there’s an injury in ST, with Jean Machi as the first pitcher into the bullpen.

Let’s review the plan.

•      Trade for an ace
•      Acquire an ace in free agency
•      Fix the bullpen
•      Upgrade in an outfield corner
•      Rid the team of Pablo Sandoval’s contract

Mostly successful, I think. Trading for an ace, that definitely happened. Say what you want, but adding Davis (even if he’s awful defensively) and Gardner is a win over JBJ and Castillo. And Sandoval is long gone. The bullpen could still be a disaster – there’s no dominant arm like a Kimbrel or Chapman, but it looks to carry some upside and more stability over 2015.

The team certainly added impact, immediate talent, but they are also guys who should continue to be productive over the next three-to-five years. Since the free agent market next season looks so bad, striking now to acquire bigger names seemed like the right choice. And don’t forget … about 70% of top prospects don’t pan out, so even dealing ones as good as Moncada and Devers could end up a long-term win, as well as a short-term one.

So. What do you think? Does this do Dave proud, or did I blow it by dealing some of the team’s best prospects?

USA Today Sports Images/Steve Mitchell

Then Betts tore up spring training, and those expectations skyrocketed. Soon, Mookie Mania took Boston (technically Fort Myers) by storm. He hit .429/.467/.750 in 19 Grapefruit League games, and began drawing comparisons to some of the game’s best players before the start of his first full major league season. Perhaps the most shocking similarity he drew came from teammate Shane Victorino, who compared Betts to Pirates’ center fielder Andrew McCutchen.

Yes, the Andrew McCutchen. He of a career 35.4 WARP, five All-Star selections and an MVP award. The one who’s helped turned the Pittsburgh from a moribund franchise to an annual postseason contender. A player with the perfect mix of speed, power and on-base ability. Arguably the best center fielder in the National League over the last half-decade.

Yup, that guy.

Those were the kind of expectations bestowed upon Betts heading into his first full season. Sure, they were a bit unrealistic, but exciting for Red Sox fans, to say the least.

So, as Betts’ first full season nears its end, it’s a fair time to ask a very basic question — did Betts live up to the hype in year one? He certainly had his share of exciting moments, none more thrilling than his double steal against the Nationals during the home opener. But he also experienced growing pains, struggling at the plate through most of April and May.

Looking at the numbers, the final product has been good. He’s sported a .280 true average, a .332 wOBA and a 107 wRC+ — not bad for a 22-year-old. Defensively, he’s tied for fourth among qualified center fielders in DRS (10) and 10th in UZR/150 (5.4). That’s even more impressive given he’s a recently converted second baseman.

But does that count as living up to the hype? In order to answer that, we compared Betts’ first full-season numbers to some of the best veteran center fielders in baseball, because with a player his age, it’s less about what he can do now and more about what he can sustain over a long career. Those comparables paint a much clearer picture of the kind of player Betts could be.

Since the bar was set at McCutchen, we started there. Here’s how it shakes out.

Betts: .280 TAv; .179 ISO; .332 wOBA; 107 wRC+
McCutchen (2009): .324 TAv; .185 ISO; .363 wOBA; 122 wRC+

Clearly Betts’ second-year production doesn’t near that of McCutchen’s, so that puts Victorino’s hyperbolic claims to rest. Does that mean Betts didn’t meet expectations? If you look at it that way, yes. But given how unrealistic it was to compare the two to begin with, it’s unfair to judge Betts strictly off that comparison.

Keeping that in mind, we looked a pair of top-tier center fielders who sit a notch below McCutchen. In this case we’re talking about AL East foes Adam Jones and Brett Gardner, both whom Betts’ skillset seems more realistically comparable.

Betts: .280 TAv; .179 ISO; .332 wOBA; 107 wRC+
Jones (2008): .245 TAv; .130 ISO; .312 wOBA; 84 wRC+
Gardner (2009): .254 TAv; .109 ISO; .325 wOBA; 91 wRC+

If Betts’ career turns out to be anything like Jones’ or Gardner’s, the Red Sox have plenty of reason to be excited. Neither one of these players had spectacular rookie seasons — in fact, Betts’ was by far the better of the three. However, both players developed into All-Stars. One could argue Jones has been the second-best center fielder in the AL since Mike Trout’s been in the league, combining speed, contact and power, as well as a solid glove, to lead the Orioles most nights. At 5-foot-9, 155 pounds, Betts will probably never be the 30-home run hitter Jones is, but the early career numbers suggest he can match him in most other areas.

Gardner seems to be the most modest comparison one can make. He’s never been among the elite players in baseball, but he’s been consistent throughout his career, steadily providing the Yankees with reliable numbers each season. Gardner was also 26 years old as a rookie. Betts’ career is off to a much faster start and it shouldn’t be long before he surpasses Gardner’s overall production.

There’s much to like about those two comparisons alone. If those numbers tell us anything, it’s that Betts is on his way to becoming an All-Star-caliber player. That’s a great sign for Betts and an even better sign for the Red Sox. Whether or not Betts lived up to the hype is open for interpretation, but his 2015 production at least justifies its existence.

That being said, Betts efforts this season certainly don’t guarantee future success. Many major leaguers failed to build upon strong first full seasons. Some even see their production slip in the following years. Two current big league center fielders who had similar success to Betts at first but who offer cautionary tales are Cameron Maybin and Austin Jackson. Both players were at one point considered top-level prospects in the Tigers organization — the fact that both were eventually traded by Dave Dombrowski is mere coincidence — but failed to live up to the billing despite promising rookie years.

Here’s what those numbers looked like.

Betts: .280 TAv; .179 ISO; .332 wOBA; 107 wRC+
Maybin (2011): .270 TAv; .130 ISO; .316 wOBA; 105 wRC+
Jackson (2010): .261 TAv; .107 ISO; .329 wOBA; 101 wRC+

Maybin has battled injuries and inconsistency since that season, seeing a dip in performance in the three following years. This season, however, has been his best. Maybin owns a .271 TAv in 2015 with a .319 wOBA and a 101 wRC+. At 28 years, perhaps his career is making a turn for the better. But even so, this doesn’t near what Boston is hoping for out of Betts. Even Jackson, who has seen his numbers fluctuate since his rookie campaign — he owns a .255 TAv this year — doesn’t provide hope for what Betts could be.

It’s hard to judge a player’s career off one season. But Betts should finish this year encouraged. It’s impractical at this point to gauge what kind of player he’ll be or who his career will emulate. However, the Red Sox went into the season excited about Betts. They should leave the year feeling the same way.

Photo by Bob DeChiara/USA Today Sports Images