Dodgers' Mookie Betts is the 'Modern-Day Rickey Henderson,' Dave Roberts Says

Who would Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts compare star outfielder Mookie Betts to? A baseball legend, of course.

Before his Dodgers took on the historical rival New York Yankees, the skipper spoke highly about Betts' impact on the team.

"[He's] the modern-day Rickey Henderson," Roberts said of Betts at the leadoff spot, per MLB.com's Juan Toribio. "He's instant offense. Getting in the box, we throw up a zero, he puts up 1-0 in the bottom of the first. Guys feed off that."

The comparison comes as a direct result of Betts' lead off home run in the Dodgers 8-4 victory over the Yankees Friday night. This was Betts' 41st career lead off homer, which is ninth in MLB history. Henderson leads that statistic with 81.

Beyond this metric, comparing the two superstars is reasonable. They each possess power from the leadoff spot, have earned a MVP award and had noted defensive prowess. Where Betts struggles to compare to Henderson is in the steals statistic, as Henderson swiped 1,406 bags in his career, while Betts just has 161 in his 10-season career.

Betts is starting to climb towards some of Henderson's milestones, as his 228 career home runs are inching closer to Henderson's final total of 297. Betts also has a higher career average at .292 versus .279.