Age? It doesn't matter. you grow up in the South and you play sports you know who Bo Jackson is. It's a dynamic Hunter Renfroe can certainly attest to.
"That's who everybody wanted to be," the Red Sox outfielder told WEEI.com.
"If you look at being an all-around athlete as far as being gifted in speed and throwing and hitting and the whole nine yards, I like Bo Jackson is one of the top guys you look up to. Now, this generation it might be Mike Trout. My generation, it was was Bo Jackson. It's a big tip of the hat having my name mentioned in the same breath."
Yes, growing up in tiny Crystal Springs, Mississippi (population 4,794) Renfroe was Bo.
It might have taken Renfroe a bit to slide into the comparisons with the legendary former Royal and Raider, not even beating his father, Todd, in a footrace until he was 16 years old. ("He got me for a long time. But I finally got him," Hunter said with a chuckle). But once he got going, it became evident this was a different kind of athlete.
Basketball? Before putting the sport in the rearview mirror heading into his junior year of high school -- ("My coach told me I needed to get my priorities straight going into my junior year. So I was like, 'Here is my jersey'," he remembered) -- dunking was easy.
Football? The quarterback/safety could have gone on to play in college at Mississippi State, but self-preservation was a priority.
Track? He ran a 4.4 40-yard dash as a junior in high school, while clocking in at 6.6 seconds for the 60-yard dash in college at 218 pounds.
And then there was baseball.
"When I was younger I was always one of the fastest kids, I was always one of the strongest kids, hitting homers. I hit my first homer when I was seven," Renfroe recalled.
"I didn't hit puberty until late. I hit it probably going into my sophomore or junior year. So I was a little bit of a late bloomer. As everyone is passing me I'm staying the same. I'm still good, but I was never hit the stride they were. I finally hit puberty and once I hit puberty it kind of took off."
His junior and senior seasons Renfroe hit over .500 while totaling 20 homers in his final high school year. But perhaps the most impressive piece of that high school resume was this: Sixty-two intentional walks as a senior.
Oh, and he could also throw. Before there was the 98 mph Statcast-measured throws from the Fenway Park outfield, Renfroe was opening eyes with 99 mph fastballs as a Mississippi State reliever. "I never could quite hit 100," he said. "But I loved pitching. Only as a reliever. I started once, pitched a complete game and my arm nearly fell off. I'm like, "I was like, 'I'm never doing that again.'"
Besides the relative anonymity Renfroe experience as a high schooler, only getting two junior college offers to play at the next level, the position he almost fell into was anything but Bo-esque. The Red Sox selected him as a catcher in the 31st round of the 2010 MLB Draft.
It got him a free trip to Fenway Park for a post-Draft workout, and a bunch of memories. "I couldn't get it over the Monster," he said. "I just kept hitting that red line. Over and over and over. I was so mad."
But that was that. Renfroe's arm and athleticism simply needed a better showcase than living life as a catcher.
Life as an 6-foot-1, 230-pound outfielder paved the way for a $2,678,000 signing bonus as the Padres' first-round pick in 2013, a major-league debut three years later, and, ultimately, an opportunity to finally put the entire package on display this season with the Red Sox.
There has been the chance to play virtually every day, no matter what the throwing arm of the opposing pitcher. There have been eight homers to go along with a batting average (.257) 25 points above his career average.
And, of course, we have the throws.
“I even sometimes forget about talking (about) him, because you take him for granted,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “Defensively, he’s, right now, the best defensive right fielder in the big leagues. And, offensively, he’s made some adjustments. He’s been able to stay on top of the fastball, go the other way. Controlling the strike zone, making more contact."