Mookie Betts caps an unforgettable year - on and off the field - with MVP honor

It's a safe bet that Mookie Betts will never forget the fall of 2018.

First, Betts and his Red Sox teammates capped a franchise record-setting 108-win regular season with a World Series win. Then, Betts became a first-time father. And Thursday night, he topped his year by being named American League Most Valuable Player.

It's enough to make Betts feel like the whole season was a bit of a dream.

"Just how the whole year kind of played out,'' said Betts in a conference call. "A lot of things just kind of went right, with J.D. (Martinez) and (Alex Cora) coming over, that kind of made things a little easier on me, kind of gave me a new perspective on the game and how to go about taking care of business. Playing the game, I learned so much and it put me in the right spot to succeed.

"Getting the hits and the home runs and whatnot (was huge), but I think it was the things that you didn't see that made the year so special.''

His season itself, however, was the very definition of special. He became just the second player in baseball history to win a Gold Glove, a Silver Slugger, a World Series and an MVP. Mike Schmidt (1980) was the only other.

Betts easily beat out two-time winner Mike Trout to become the first Red Sox player since Dustin Pedroia in 2008 to capture the award. Betts won 28 first-place votes to one for Trout and one for teammate J.D. Martinez. Cleveland's Jose Ramirez finished third in the voting. Betts finished with 410 points, followed by 265 for Trout, 208 for Ramirez and 198 for Martinez.

Betts led baseball in batting average, slugging percentage, runs scored and WAR. He posted a slash line of .346/.438/.640 while adding 32 homers and 30 stolen bases. He also won a Gold Glove in right field, while saving 20 defensive runs.

He became the 11th player in Red Sox history to win the award, following Tris Speaker, Jimmy Foxx, Ted Williams, Jackie Jensen, Carl Yastrzemski, Fred Lynn, Jim Rice, Roger Clemens, Mo Vaughn and Dustin Pedroia.

Betts can be eligible for free agency in two more years, but he sidestepped a question about whether he'd like to remain with the Red Sox for the remainder of his career.

"Right now, I'm just focused on the 2019 season coming up,'' Betts said. "It's a great organization and I love being a part of it and now the 2019 season is the most important one, coming up.''

But seemingly in something of a pivot, Betts later made mention of how he's grown to like Boston.

"This is definitely one of the best organizations in baseball,'' he said, "and I can't ask to be part of a more historic organization, with the fanbase the way they are. It's been amazing. It's a different part of the country, so it's been different to see how life goes. It's definitely a great time to be in Boston. I'm growing a new love for the city, being there for so long, just to appreciate everyday life and being a Bostonian.''

As one of the game's top stars -- and now a world champion and MVP to boot -- his visibility will increase. And at a time when baseball is looking to do a better job marketing its best players, Betts indicated he'd be willing to embrace that role.

"Absolutely, I enjoy being kind of a face around the game,'' said Betts. "I can kind of use this pedestal to spread knowledge that the game is fun. We have a bunch of great personalities, great athletes in this game and it's definitely (a group that's) getting younger and growing. And I take pride in knowing that I can make a difference in a kid's life.''

Two other Red Sox players also received votes: Xander Bogaerts finished 13th in the voting, with Chris Sale finishing 24th.