Mookie Betts was ranked as the top defensive shortstop in baseball by Sports Info Solutions (SIS) and finished as the leading vote-getter among players at the position, earning him a 2025 Fielding Bible Award.
This is the seventh time Betts has won a Fielding Bible Award, which snaps a tie with Yadier Molina and Andrelton Simmons for the most wins since they were first introduced in 2006.
However, this represents the first time the future Hall of Famer has won as a shortstop. Betts previously won Fielding Bible Awards as a right fielder in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2022, and the multi-position honor in 2023.
Betts is the first Dodgers shortstop to win a Fielding Bible Award. He was also the last member of the Dodgers to win any award from SIS, which came in 2023. The only other Dodgers infielder to win a Fielding Bible Award was Adrián González in 2014 as a first baseman.
Betts tied Taylor Walls of the Tampa Bay Rays for the lead in defensive runs saved by a shortstop in 2025 with 17. Betts had 16 defensive misplays and errors in 2025, three fewer than he made in 2024 in more than twice as many innings.
Betts led all shortstops in Plays Saved (SIS’ version of outs above average) on balls hit to his right. Meaning, Betts did well fielding balls when moving away from first base. He turned 12 more plays than expected on balls hit to his right, best of any shortstop.
Before the 2025 season, the 33-year-old only had 81 MLB games at shortstop.
This is the 20th season SIS has honored the best defensive players in MLB, and it’s also the first they’ve announced Defensive Team of the Year, and the third of Defensive Player of the Year.
The awards are voted on by a panel of experts who consider statistical analysis, the eye test, and any other factors that they wish to utilize.
The SIS voting panel consisted of co-founder John Dewan, along with Daniel Álvarez-Montes (El Extra Base, editor/writer), Ben Clemens (FanGraphs, writer), Chris Dial (sabermetrician), Alyson Footer (MLB.com, editor), Tyler Kepner (The Athletic, writer), Bill Ladson (MLB.com, writer), Eduardo Pérez (ESPN, broadcaster), Hal Richman (Strat-O-Matic, founder), Eno Sarris (The Athletic, writer), Travis Sawchik (The Score, writer), Bobby Scales (Detroit Tigers, radio broadcaster), Joe Sheehan (Joe Sheehan’s Baseball Newsletter, writer), Mark Simon (SIS, writer), Danielle Wexelman (MLB Network Radio, broadcaster), and an aggregate vote from the SIS Baseball Operations staff.
Sports Info Solutions was founded in 2002 and partners with Major Leagues, their teams, media companies, odds providers, and fans, to help them win. The company is well-known for its work in baseball and is the inventor of one of baseball’s most popular defensive metrics, Defensive Runs Saved.
Mookie Betts Fielding Bible Award voting breakdown
Betts received 52 total points in Fielding Bible voting, and was ranked first by six of the 15 panelists, along with one more first place vote by the SIS staff. He was ranked second on two more ballots, and fifth on two ballots.
Nick Allen (Atlanta Braves) finished second with 44 points and three first-place votes. Bobby Witt Jr. (Kanas City Royals) received the second-most first place votes with five, but placed third in the voting with 34 points.
The voters are asked to rank the top-five players at each defensive position on a scale from 1 to 5 at the conclusion of the regular season. A first-place vote gets five points, second place gets four points, third place gets three points, fourth place gets two points and fifth place gets one.
The player with the most points after all votes are totaled wins the award. A perfect score is 80 points.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
