“Nowhere to Go but Up”: Despite Struggles, Mookie Betts Remains Positive About the Dodgers’ Shortstop Experiment

“This is too hard,” Mookie Betts said about playing shortstop. Even though the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar has been excelling offensively, time hasn’t been kind to him when it comes to playing defense. Despite his natural athleticism, Betts has found it difficult to completely adopt the quick gameplay required to be a shortstop. In his recent interview, the 2018 MVP shared his feelings on his recent struggles.

Though, Mookie Betts has made some fine plays defensively, his stint as a shortstop hasn’t been completely successful yet. The superstar has sometimes made errors on routine plays and other times, his arm hasn’t been as strong as one would like. Naturally, as an outfielder, the Dodgers’ experiment of putting Betts in the shortstop position was initially met with some skepticism. However, listening to Betts it becomes clear that he too isn’t completely satisfied with his performances.

“I think its been not very good,” Betts said about his performance to Juan Toribio’s Dodger Beat newsletter. “It’s a work in progress. It’s my first time doing it in long time. You have to start somewhere. And at least with me feeling like I’m on the lower end, there’s nowhere to go but up from here,” Mookie Betts finished.

No one expected Betts to excel from the get-go in his new position. After all, this is the first time in his career that he’s playing as a full-time shortstop. However, one can’t help but feel that maybe Betts is being a little too harsh on himself. Yes, the Dodgers superstar has had 7 errors in 357.1 innings.

But his RDRS of 4 shows that he hasn’t been a liability on his team either. And that’s something that has kept the Dodgers skipper confident about Betts’ abilities.

Is Mookie Betts’ improvement just a matter of time?

Dave Roberts noted that Betts’ overtraining might end soon. “I don’t expect the workload before games to continue throughout the season,” Roberts said, “He’s trying to continue to build a foundation. He expects a lot himself.” This has been the core philosophy inside the entire Los Angeles Dodgers clubhouse. The team believes in Mookie Betts’ abilities. They’re just waiting for things to click.

The thing is that despite making mistakes, most know that Betts will improve. Whatever errors he makes, they come because it’s his first time being in that position. The more he gets used to it, the fewer errors he’ll make. And that is why despite his still slightly below-average defensive numbers, the team believes in this experiment. 

As for Betts, his words completely explain his mindset: “Sometimes it’s good to get hit in the mouth a lot. Take it on the chin and keep it moving.”