Ironically, father and son share a commonality besides love of the game: Both have transitioned from the infield to the outfield.

“Bo was a first baseman ... I think he played 11 games his senior year (of high school) in the outfield. So when he got drafted, they moved him to the outfield because of his speed. So he’s still learning, really, to play the outfield,” the elder Greenwell analyzed, relating, “I went through similar things because I was a third baseman in the minor leagues. But we had this guy, Wade Boggs, who, I guess was pretty good,” he said with a smile, “... and we were getting older in the outfield with (Jim) Rice and (Darrell) Evans. I never played the outfield ’til I was in triple-A. I was in A ball, had a really good year in the Carolina League, and they (including former Bosox manager John McNamara) actually brought me into spring training in camp and started working with me in the outfield, and I had such a good spring training they sent me to triple-A —I went from A-ball to triple-A — and at the end of that year I went to the big leagues as an outfielder. I’d only played about 120 games in the outfield, and really had to learn how to play in, of all places, Fenway and the ‘Green Monster.’

“(Taught) myself,” Greenwell continued. “ ... Rice — and I’ve joked with him about this over the years — I asked him, ‘How come you never helped me?’ and he said, ‘You were taking my job.’ So, I understood that.”

Mike Greenwell was asked to be more pragmatic than parental in analyzing his son’s skill set:

“Bo’s a complete player. He plays the game hard, he’s developing his power as we speak — he’s still young, but the ball jumps off his bat well; he uses the field well. I truly believe that he is a kid that is going to work his way into the big leagues; he’s just got that work-ethic and desire and dream. There’s a lot of kids that act like (they’re going to make it), but I think he knows it and I think that’s the advantage he has: He knows in his mind, ‘I’m going to get myself to the big leagues, no matter what it takes,’ and that’s just the work-ethic and the desire to get there, and I don’t think you can teach that.

“Bo was a very good football player and actually had some offers to go play college football, but he just always knew that he was going to be a baseball player. And I think that’s part of it: you have to know it; I don’t even know if it’s that you’ve gotta want it; you’ve gotta know it, and he knows it.

“So far ... he’s progressed every year. I’ve talked to some of the coaches through the organization and they all say the same thing about him: Hardest worker; one of most improved players in the organization; just gets better every time you see him. And that’s what you’ve got to do, you’ve got to make yourself a prospect,” Mike Greenwell continued. “ ... He knows I played and he knows I was good. But coaches asked him one time about the pressures of having a dad play at the level I played, and it’s funny, but he said, ‘I gotta worry about me getting better.’ I thought that was a great answer, ’cause it’s true. I tell him all the time, ‘you’ve gotta know you’re a star, you’ve gotta believe it, you’ve gotta find a way to be a star. That guy’s usually the guy that out-works everybody else ... you can’t worry about the last at-bat; you’ve gotta take care of the next one. And that doesn’t matter if you hit a 3-run homer; you’ve got to worry about the next one, that’s all part of it.”

“I’m trying to develop myself as an all-around player,” Bo Greenwell began. “I’m still young, I’m still raw, I’m still learning every day, which I think is gonna benefit me in the long run. Obviously, my bat is one of my strengths. Defensively I moved from first base to the outfield just last year, and I’m just kind’ve getting a feel for the outfield. So if I had to pick a weakness, I’d say it’s the defensive part of my game.

“But, if you can swing it, they’re gonna find a place for you to play, but I’m looking to develop that part (defense) of my game so I’m an all-around prospect,” he added.

“Being an athlete, it’s easy to go from the infield to the outfield,” the youngster continued. “It’s been a good thing, so I can just go out there and run, learning how to develop my angles on balls hit, learning how to stretch out my arm so as to get a little more carry on my (throws). Really, it’s just little things I need to work on defensively, and when those get there then I’ll be where I need to be.”

Fryman, the 2nd-year Scrappers’ skipper, offered this assessment:

“I know they were hoping that (Bo) would be here last year, but it didn’t work out. But he did a good job this spring, made our club, and probably will be our left fielder. So we’re looking forward to having him.”

“I’m excited, obviously, because Travis Fryman’s here,” the elder Greenwell admitted. “’Old-school’ player, ‘old-school’ guy, and I think he’s going to be great for these kids, to have a guy with that kind of knowledge and experience coaching them. So it’s a great stepping stone for any kid; for mine, I’m excited about it. I think (Fryman) will get the best out of Bo and take Bo to a different level.”

“It’s going to be great,” the youngster echoed, regarding Fryman. “He knows so much about the game. He was a student of the game, and he worked his butt off. He’s an ‘old-school’ type of coach, he wants his players to work every day, work hard, play the game hard, and that’s how I play the game. I think we’re a good fit together, and I cannot wait to play for him. I’m gonna learn a lot from him, and it’s gonna be a great season.”

“It’s gotta be tough to be a dad and in that position, especially being a former player,” observed Fryman, who was a contemporary of Greenwell’s. “You think, as a former player you know the ins and outs, you know what’s going on. But at the same time you’re a dad first, and you want it badly for your kid. So that can be tough for Bo, too. But he’s a very mature, respectful young man, and I think he’ll do well.”