Mookie Betts uncharacteristically struggled at the plate in 2025 and now is looking to get back on track as he enters his seventh season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Betts hit just .258/.326/.406 with 23 doubles, 20 home runs and 82 RBI in 150 games last season. He wasn’t much of a factor in the first half but started to turn things around after the All-Star break, only to struggle again during the playoffs.
The eight-time All-Star was critical of himself and at one point said his season couldn’t be saved. A bright spot was Betts’ excellent play at shortstop, which helped him finish the year with nearly five wins above replacement (WAR) despite his offensive struggles.
While Betts was proud of his defensive work, he undoubtedly wants to return to being one of the best hitters in the sport.
“I hope so,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Betts’ desire to bounce back offensively. “I think that you know the great players, whatever criticisms or expectations people have of them. The great ones expect more and are more critical of themselves.
“So I would like to think that Mookie has something to prove for himself, and Teo as well.”
Betts recently noted that he made several changes during the offseason to help him become more of a factor with his bat again.
“Just kind of rewiring my body to do what I wanted it to do,” Betts said. “Even though it was down last year, before I got sick, I was probably having one of the best springs I’ve ever had. So I just got to get back to just rewiring and trusting myself.
“I’m really not worrying about having a bad year last year. Just putting that out of my mind and not even trying to have a good year this year. It’s really just playing. Just play, have fun, and we’ll get there whenever we get there.”
Mookie Betts’ offseason changes
When asked to specify what improvements he made, Betts said he focused on his swing, mentality and body movement.
“More just rewiring my mechanics, my brain, the motor patterns,” Betts explained. “I think it kind of got out of whack early on, and once I got out of whack early, it was just like a snowball effect.
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