In an era of loud personalities, Mookie Betts is perhaps one of the calmest ones. The famously enthusiastic but reserved Dodgers star has been on a mission ever since he first started playing baseball. “I want to be a legend in the game,” are the words that Betts lives by. However, to do that one needs to be extraordinary, and the superstar has been nothing but that since his childhood when he played in four teams! 

That’s right, Mookie Betts played in multiple teams as a kid. What’s more interesting is that he played in multiple positions as well. So how did it affect his career? Well! For that, one needs to go down the memory lane and see the little Mookie first starting to make a name for himself in his youth.

How Mookie Betts discovered what it means to be a baseball player 

Mookie Betts was recently interviewed by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. During their talks, Betts put forward his intentions to be a “legend in the game,” and how he wants to be the best teammate one can ever have. Gradually the discussion shifted to the versatility that the 2018 AL MVP showed last season when he played multiple positions. To this Betts replied, “It just felt like I was able to be a kid again.” Then the superstar revealed surprising details of his childhood.

“Growing up, I never played one position. I was almost like the utility guy. I had four uniforms, and whoever called and needed a right fielder or a shortstop or a second baseman or a third baseman or a first baseman, that’s kind of where we went,” Betts shared. Rosenthal was visibly surprised about Betts playing in four youth teams at once. 

So the 31-year-old decided to surprise him some more and shared that he used to pitch as well! “Sometimes I would go just pitch, and sometimes I would go play left. It didn’t matter,” Betts gave the insights into his childhood. But this was a mighty important experience for the star, as he thanked his dad for doing this. It showed him “how to be a baseball player,” instead of being a one-position player.

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Betts carried on this versatility with him throughout his career. Last season he played in the rightfield, second base, and shortstop. But this season Betts is expected to focus on second base as his quest for a third World Series is still on.

The Dodgers’ quest for a full-season World Series continues

While the LA Dodgers won the World Series in 2020 – it was asterisked by rival fans due to a shortened season. The last time the Blue Crew won the Fall Classic in a complete season was in 1988. Betts recognizes this, “We’ve gotten one, but one for nine or ten is not very good in our sport,” he said. 

The superstar appreciated the urgency shown by the Dodgers management this offseason by signing Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. While a superteam has been formed, it still doesn’t guarantee success. Perhaps that’s why Betts remains razor-focused on the prize and his legacy.

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