Mookie Betts is looking to get back on track in his seventh season with the Los Angeles Dodgers after uncharacteristically struggling at the plate last year.
Betts’ 2025 season got off to an ominous start as a lengthy stomach virus prevented him from playing in the Tokyo Series. He lost roughly 20 pounds because of the illness, which compromised his strength and bat speed for a large part of the year.
Betts’ diminished bat speed played a major role in his offensive struggles as he hit just .258/.326/.406 with 23 doubles, 20 home runs and 82 RBI in 150 games.
The eight-time All-Star is off to a much better start this spring, which he attributes to his bat speed getting back to normal levels, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“I’ve always kind of tracked it. But last year was probably the most alarming because it was down just about 10 mph,” Betts said after hitting his first home run of the spring on Sunday. “There’s no excuse there. It’s something I’ve tracked, and I’ll keep up with. It doesn’t matter for everyone, but for me it does.”
Betts said his weight is back up to almost 180 pounds and believes his improved bat speed will help him catch up to high velocities this season:
“I think the most important part is I think I’m 178 now, almost 180. I’m able to just have speed,” he said. “When I lost all that weight, I was down 10 mph in (bat) speed. Guys are throwing 100 mph. With a slow bat, it’s going to be hard. It’s no excuse. It’s a fact. Now that I’ve got my speed back, I don’t have to hurry up and make decisions so fast.”
Betts believes he is in a much better physical and mental state compared to last season:
He is “swinging it just as fast as when I was younger,” and that has freed up his mind.
“When I show up to the park, I don’t have to guess. I don’t have to panic. It’s just the same every day,” he said. “You’re going to have days when you get hits and days when you don’t get hits. But I’m not chasing my tail. I’m not physically at a deficit. I’m just in a really good spot.”
Betts mentioned earlier this spring that he “rewired” his body during the offseason, focusing on improving his swing, mentality and body movement.
He has also continued to implement a stretching routine introduced to him by Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s training guru, Yada Sensei, two years ago.
Mookie Betts’ 2026 Spring Training stats
Through seven Cactus League games, Betts is hitting an excellent .316/.350/.526 with two extra-base hits and two RBI in 20 plate appearances. The 33-year-old hit his first home run of the spring on Sunday and appears to be in an excellent spot heading into Opening Day.
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