Mookie Betts made his 2026 Cactus League debut on Sunday, and it gave the Los Angeles Dodgers their first look at what they hope is a new and rejuvenated Mookie Betts in game action.
Betts posted the worst statistical season of his career in 2025, hitting just .258/.326/.406 with a 104 wRC+. It marked a significant drop in production from the first five years of his Dodgers tenure, where he batted .284/.372/.530 with a 140 wRC+.
Near the end of the season, Betts was all out of ideas on how to get his offense back on track. He gave up on looking at his results, saying his season was over, and took a mindset of just trying to help the team win.
“I was upset until I was able to help the team,” Betts said. “Once I was able to help the boys, all was fine. But before that, I was really upset, not with the numbers, per se, but not being able to help, not doing my job, carrying my weight. And so once I was able to do stuff, especially later on in the season, I was able to just kind of take a step back and say, ‘You did pretty good.'”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also believes that mindset will be beneficial for Betts. “I think that there’s some experience part of it, there’s some growth part of it, in the sense that he’s done everything he can do individually, and now he’s just trying to win championships,” Roberts said.
“And I think that last year, the way he struggled offensively, but to kind of put that aside to help us win was most important. And to see it kind of play out as such, I think that validated his thoughts. And so I do like his outlook on things, as far as just play to win and be on the field, and I think the performance will be better for it.”
But getting to the point of giving up on chasing offensive production was a challenge mentally for Betts. It forced him to re-evaluate his priorities during the season and change his training in the offseason.
“I don’t know. I think you just kind of get to a point where there’s nothing really more you can do,” Betts said. “I mean, what am I going to do, work harder? Obviously, that wasn’t working. So say work smarter, sure. I promise you, I would have if I knew.”
Betts spent the offseason re-wiring his body and swing, and so far, he is happy with those results. “I feel like I did work smarter this offseason,” Betts said. “And I feel like I’m in a really good spot.”
Betts went back to the basics and built his swing back from the ground up. It’s something he hasn’t needed to do in his career.
“I mean, it’s just really going back to what I do best and really just honing in on it,” Betts said. “Instead of trying to fix problems, I was more able to just hone in on what I do best, and kind of groove those patterns, instead of trying to fix old habits.”
Roberts is proud of the way Betts has handled his struggles, saying he could have allowed it to spiral further, but instead kept grinding and working while putting the team at the forefront.
“I think that I learned he could find a way to compartmentalize essentially a lost offensive season, in his words, and then kind of just redirect,” Roberts said. “And then that’s not easy. I mean, that’s the first time any of us have seen him struggle like that. So that was something that I think we all learned.”
Now, Betts has a fresh start, and the Dodgers are hoping he can get back on track at an MVP level.
“I think that he’s put last year behind him, in the sense of the individual struggles,” Roberts said. “And I think that getting off to a good start this year, as far as having a good offseason, a healthy offseason, hopefully we can keep the weight up and he doesn’t get sick like he did last spring, and then go from there.
“Yeah, I would expect not to struggle like he did last year. I don’t think age is a factor. I think that he’s in a really good spot right now. So I think also trying to command, get a handle on shortstop was something that was really important to him and to us, but I feel he’s got a really good grasp on shortstop now, so he can just kind of do that and continue to be the offensive threat that he has been his entire career.”
Dave Roberts confident in Mookie Betts
If Betts can pair a resurgence at the plate with his defense from last season, it has the makings of an MVP-caliber season. Roberts believes he is capable of putting such a season together.
“Absolutely, I have no doubt about it,” Roberts said. “The way he played shortstop last year, expecting him to get better, be better offensively this year, he will be in the MVP conversation this year. But again, I think, speaking for Mookie, his main goal is to help us win a championship.
“So I think whatever falls out from there, I think that will happen. So I just want him to focus on just being healthy, helping us win, and then whatever happens outside of that will happen.”
Make sure to follow Dodger Blue on Instagram! It’s the best way to see exclusive coverage from games and events, get your questions answered, and more!
