After finishing second in voting for the 2023 National League MVP Award, Mookie Betts prepared to embark on a new journey is career by moving in from right field to second base.
Betts and the Los Angeles Dodgers were aligned in the position change being beneficial for preserving his health for the remainder of his long-term contract. But with less than one week remaining in Spring Training, Betts was flipped over to shortstop in response to Gavin Lux’s throwing struggles.
Betts showed glimpses of being more than capable of playing shortstop, but he finished the 2024 World Series in right field because that’s what best suited the Dodgers.
Heading into this season, however, the Dodgers committed to Betts as their full-time shortstop. He spent the offseason tirelessly training for the position switch, and it reflected in his play.
Although questions were raised over the possibility that Betts’ offensive drop off this year was related to the physical demands of being an everyday shortstop, he continued to draw rave reviews from manager Dave Roberts and teammates.
Come the postseason, that’s extended to Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy. Among the praise Murphy heaped on Betts’ success at shortstop was comparing the feat to Golden State Warriors four-time champion Steph Curry deciding to play the power forward position.
“Mookie is doing something in our game that’s unprecedented,” Murphy added.
Now with the Dodgers facing the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series, Betts garnered more compliments from an opposing manager.
“I’ve always respected him and the way he plays the game, going back to when he was with the Red Sox,” John Schneider said. “Makes playing shortstop look easy for a guy that’s a Gold Glover in right field. He’s just consistent. I think he understands the speed of the game, understands big stages of the game.
“I think any manager feels comfortable and confident writing a lineup when you got a guy like that in there every day. A couple plays that he’s made, man, just going to his right against us in the first couple games, pretty impressive what he does.
“And the fact that he’s hitting at the top of the order, I think Mookie’s a hell of a player.”
Mookie Betts wins shortstop award
Betts was named a finalist for the Gold Glove Award at shortstop, and in the meantime he won a Fielding Bible Award.
It’s the seventh time Betts has won a Fielding Bible Award, which broke a tie with Yadier Molina and Andrelton Simmons for the most wins since they were first introduced in 2006.
However, the 2025 honor represents Betts’ first as a shortstop. Betts previously won Fielding Bible Awards as a right fielder in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2022, and for the multi-position in 2023.
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