The Los Angeles Dodgers expect Mookie Betts to be one of their best players each year, but so far in 2025 he has struggled for the majority of the season.
The reason for his struggles are up for debate, however.
Among the theories about Betts’ decline are a normal drop in production due to his age, the extra demand from moving to shortstop, not hitting in his typical leadoff spot, mechanical issues, and the injuries he has suffered in the past two years — including his broken left hand last year and a stomach bug that caused him to lose 20 pounds before the season.
In an effort to get him going, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts decided to move Betts in the leadoff role, hoping it would change his mindset and potentially allow him to see better pitches in front of Shohei Ohtani.
Betts went 1-for-5 in his first game as the team’s leadoff hitter this year, and he scored a run after singling when Ohtani homered. Betts also hit a ball hard in his final at-bat, but it was unfortunately right at the center fielder.
“I think just seeing how Mookie swung the bat today, I was encouraged by that,” Roberts said. “Obviously setting the table for Shohei, who had another homer.”
It’s impossible to say if the move to the leadoff spot benefitted Betts after a sample of just one game. A .200 batting average in the lone result is nothing to celebrate, but it’s also an improvement over his recent numbers, and the hard-hit ball was encouraging.
While Roberts may believe it helped, Betts does not think it made any difference and was again unhappy with his results.
“Just another day at the park,” Betts said. “Nothing really changed, so it doesn’t matter.”
With the loss against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, the Dodgers have dropped 10 of their last 12 games. In that stretch, Betts is hitting just .200/.229/.311 with a 47 wRC+.
“Just got to play better in all facets,” Betts said. “Can’t speak for everyone, I just know for me, I just got to play better. Just got to figure it out.”
The offense as a whole has been in a terrible slump since their losing stretch began on July 4, and the Dodgers need their superstars to lead the team. Ohtani is doing his part, but from Betts and Freddie Freeman, who has a .483 on-base plus slugging in that stretch, the Dodgers have received next to nothing.
Dave Roberts explains moving Mookie Betts to leadoff
It goes against conventional wisdom to move a struggling player up in the lineup, and especially to the most important spot in a lineup. But Roberts shared why he believes it will be beneficial and wanted to show confidence in Betts, too.
“I think I just kind of came to a point in looking at how things are going, where Mookie is at, emotionally, mechanics-wise, kind of all in totality, and I just felt that giving him a different look in the lineup, hitting him at the top, something he’s obviously been accustomed to throughout his career, will put him in a mindset of just to get on base,” Roberts said.
“I think that just trying to take good at-bats, set the table for Shohei and the guys behind him. I don’t know how long this is going to be, certainly it’ll be until Max gets back, and then we’ll kind of reevaluate from there. But versus left, versus right, for the time being, I’m going to hit Mookie at the top.
“And hopefully it sort of lends itself to the mindset of just get on base and build innings.”
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