More on Betts’ preparation to play shortstop for the Dodgers, this time with more than two weeks notice at the position
Last year, Mookie Betts was pressed into duty at shortstop a mere 12 days before the regular season opener, and his time at the position was very much a work in progress.
The Dodgers star comes into 2025 having had a full offseason to train at the position, which involved time at Camelback Ranch in Arizona, and work at local high schools in Los Angeles while Dodger Stadium underwent construction. It also included time in Texas with former Gold Glove-winning shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.
Jack Harris at the Los Angeles Times detailed Betts’ offseason work at shortstop, including this assessment from Tulowtizki:
“I wouldn’t say this for anybody else that’s just spent however many years in the outfield and then go to the infield,” Tulowitzki said of a position change that has no equivalent in recent baseball history. “But I can truly tell you, I think he can be an elite defender at the position — which is just crazy to say.”
On Wednesday at Camelback Ranch, Betts was asked about playing shortstop.
“I’m really excited to prove everybody wrong. All the poeple that doubt me, they’ll see,” Betts said, as relayed by Rowan Kavner of Fox Sports.
Links
Andy McCullough at The Athletic talked to Landon Knack, Ben Casparius, Dave Roberts, and others about fighting for spots and playing time on a loaded Dodgers roster. There’s even a fun and relevant song parody by Brock Stewart and Ross Stripling in 2019 within.
“We’re all pulling for each other, but at the same time, we’re competing for very limited spots,” Casparius told McCullough. “So it’s an interesting concept. Honestly, I think it pushes us to a level that we might not be able to get to if we weren’t in an organization like this.”
Among the 16 position players on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster, only four are under 30 years old — Andy Pages (24), Hyesong Kim (26), Hunter Feduccia (turns 28 in June), and James Outman (turns 28 in May).
Joe Sheehan in his extensive preview of the Dodgers season at his eponymous newsletter noticed this. “The Dodgers have to get younger, and I am very curious to see how they integrate Pages, [Dalton] Rushing, Josue De Paula and Zyhir Hope over the next few seasons,” he wrote.”