It has been an uncharacteristically quiet season for Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star Mookie Betts, but the three-time World Series champion has attempted to make the most out of the campaign’s final few months.
Despite some early struggles, Betts has started to play more efficiently at shortstop. According to baseball Savant, he ranks in the 88th percentile in Range and the 74th percentile in Fielding Run Value.
Despite being a natural outfielder, the 32-year-old has now played the position for a number of years, and is not surprised to have recently found his footing.
“I feel like that was mostly to y’all, not to me,” Betts told The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. “I know what I’m capable of, what I can do.”
Betts has also started to heat up at the dish.
“Earlier this month, Mookie Betts told reporters, “My season’s kind of over,” saying it will be impossible to reach his normal numbers, and that he will just try to do what he can to help the team,” Rosenthal wrote.
“Those comments seemingly liberated Betts — he has batted .348 with two homers and an .874 OPS in his last 17 games. But Betts was dismissive of that notion, saying he simply has found a cue that is working for him. After recovering from his early-season illness, he tried too hard to generate power. Now that he’s focusing on singles, he’s in a better place.”
Across 120 games this season, he has hit 13 home runs and posted a .689 OPS. While he will not end the year with pristine marks, the former MVP could potentially stay hot as the Dodgers attempt to make another deep run in October.
Betts’ comfort at shortstop and ability to string together consistent at-bats could prove to be pivotal parts of the Dodgers’ attempt to beat out the San Diego Padres for the National League West crown.
