The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the postseason with arguably the most talented roster of any team that was part of the field, led by former MVP Award winners Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts.
Betts endured a down season at the plate by his standards but started to catch fire in September and has continued to swing a hot bat in the playoffs.
He enters Game 4 of the National League Championship Series hitting .297/.381/.459 with four doubles, one triple and six RBI in 42 postseason plate appearances.
Betts has also continued to play an excellent shortstop despite still being relatively new to the position. Betts’ all-around contributions drew praise from Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy, who believes the 33-year-old doesn’t get enough recognition.
“I happen to think that Mookie Betts is one of the most underrated stars,” Murphy said. “I say underrated, that’s kind of crazy, right? But I don’t think Mookie Betts gets the credit.
“Freddie Freeman is like my favorite person, player in the game. He’s ruined Brewers history many times, but I still love him. I think he’s a terrific player and even more terrific person. Ohtani, you know, one of the all-time greats. I don’t know how many years he’s played but he’s one of the all-time greats.
“But Mookie Betts, what he’s doing, transitioning back to the infield and playing shortstop on America’s team, like, are you kidding me? And doing it so well. I mean, his performance this year is by far the most underrated.
“If you’re watching baseball and value to a team, that dude is some kind of special. It would be like Steph Curry playing forward, you know what I mean? He could do it because superstars can do that.
“Mookie is doing something in our game that’s unprecedented. I love it.”
Betts has been overlooked by some due to his earlier struggles this year but Murphy correctly points out that he is still capable of being one of the most valuable players in baseball.
Betts was nearly worth five wins above replacement this season, and that was with roughly league-average production as a hitter.
Mookie Betts among Gold Glove Award finalists
Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalists were announced this week, which includes Betts at shortstop. Nick Allen (Atlanta Braves) and Masyn Winn (St. Louis Cardinals) are the other finalists at the position in the NL.
Betts is looking to win a seventh career Gold Glove Award and his first as a shortstop.
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