Mookie Betts has redefined himself in one of the most resilient seasons of his career
by Cary Osborne
Mookie Betts stood in front of his locker in the Dodger clubhouse on Aug. 8 after an impactful evening in the batter’s box, including a two-run home run off future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer.
And he declared his season was over — metaphorically.
One of the greatest position players of this generation for the first time in his career wasn’t producing at an All-Star-caliber level. And factually, he was producing below the Major League average.
It’s the point where he let go. That Aug. 8, he said his focus was now more about doing the little things to help the Dodgers win.
“I just accepted failing,” Betts reflected on Monday on the eve of the Wild Card Series. “My thought process on failing changed. … Instead of just sulking in, ‘I tried this and it failed, and now I don’t know where to go.’ I just used it as a positive and it eventually turned.”
He was batting as low as .231 with a .657 OPS on Aug. 4.
From Aug. 8 on, the career .290/.369/.512/.881 hitter batted .309/.368/.506/.874 with nine home runs and 34 RBI in 45 games.
Betts was candid about this season when he spoke on Monday. The turnaround, he said, coincided with finally feeling strong this season.
Betts flew to Japan for the Dodgers’ regular-season-opening Tokyo Series in March, but was sent back to Los Angeles after contracting a stomach virus. Betts lost 15 pounds and was weighing just over 160 pounds when the Dodgers were back in Los Angeles for their domestic Opening Day in late March.
Though he started hot through his first 15 games, the offense sank in mid-April. His fallback was his defense.
Despite constant questions about his transition to shortstop in his 12th Major League season, the six-time Gold Glove right fielder held fast to the desire of being a difference maker for the team in the infield. Some of those questions related to the offensive decline; others were related to the Dodger offensive struggles in the outfield, and whether moving Betts back to right field would somehow alleviate all the issues.
To Betts’ and the Dodgers’ credit, they didn’t waver. Betts’ 17 defensive runs saved at shortstop led the Majors.
“I think the offense, when he kind of said the year was lost, and when he kind of made that admission, that’s when I think it sort of flipped for him,” said manager Dave Roberts. “Just freeing his mind up. But then there was a play — I don’t recall where it was at — but a play going to his backhand that was a pretty spectacular play where for me, it was just being an athlete, playing shortstop — he just looked like a natural shortstop. .. He has been as good as I could have ever expected playing that position.”
Maybe it was Sept. 4 in Pittsburgh. Pirates shortstop Jared Triolo grounded a ball into the 5–6 hole. Betts slid to his right, knocked the ball down with a backhand, gathered it and threw a missile to get the out.
“I take a lot of pride in it,” Betts said of his defense at shortstop. “Because starting the season, I wasn’t sure if I was going to actually end the season there. I thought there might be an adjustment at some point from lack of trust or whatever. I just didn’t know.”
Betts was the Dodger shortstop until June 16 last year, when his hand was broken by a pitch. He returned Aug. 12 as a right fielder with the Dodgers in need. And he stayed there throughout the season all the way until Game 5 of the World Series.
In December, Dodger Executive Vice President and General Manager Brandon Gomes said Betts would be the Dodgers’ everyday shortstop in 2025, and the plan was not to move him around like in 2024.
Behind the scenes, Betts was putting in the work in the winter, taking ground balls and working on throws on high school baseball fields. He often worked with Dodger video coordinator Petie Montero, who would record the workouts and send them to Dodger infield coordinator and first base coach Chris Woodward to give feedback.
Woodward, from Spring Training to now, has been a constant counsel and teacher for Betts, working daily with the relentless Betts on infield drills.
Back in April, Woodward marveled at the progress Betts had already made.
“It’s a really difficult position to master,” Woodward said then. “It takes years to get to that point, and what he’s trying to do now, I’m not going to bet against him. I refuse to bet against that guy. … When you play the outfield and you’re playing at that kind of level as an outfielder, and then you move to shortstop, I don’t think it’s really ever been done.”
He did it. Now to the next challenge.
“I’m just proud of myself for making it through the year and actually achieving a goal that I set out to do, and that was to be a Major League shortstop,” Betts said. “I can say I did it. I can say I was good at it. Now it’s just a matter of going and doing it on the big stage.
“I’ll be nervous just like everybody else. This is my first time playing short in the postseason. I’m sure there will be some butterflies in there, but that’s all for the love of the game.”
2025 Postseason: Recapturing Mookie was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.