His versatility reflects both his unselfishness and his athletic gifts.
One of the greatest right fielders in baseball history, Mookie Bets moved to second base last year because the Dodger I needed him to do this. He moved from second base to shortstop this year because, once again, the Dodgers needed him.
Most stars wouldn’t be so understanding. Most stars wouldn’t be able to play such a wide variety of positions if they wanted to.
“He is one of the best people and teammates I have ever met,” said the coach David Roberts he said.
Now, as Betts approaches his recovery from a broken hand, the Dodgers may be making another request that tests his ability for self-sacrifice.
They could be asking him to return to right field.
Roberts didn’t say yes. General manager Brandão Gomes neither. But look at the players the Dodgers signed before the trade deadline, examine their lineup, and it’s clear that Betts could help them more at his old position than at shortstop or second base.
Will Betts return as the team’s shortstop?
“That’s his intention,” Roberts said.
However, Roberts cautioned: “By the time we get to mid-August, when we expect him back, I don’t know if that’s going to change.”
Gomes was also enigmatic.
“He continues to get ground balls in the infield,” Gomes said, “and we have so many open opportunities now with guys in the infield that it allows us to take some time to see where we are when he comes back. . But he’s ready to go wherever we need him.”
Superstars are usually those who are accommodated by actors, not the other way around. In that case, Betts could be asked to move to right field to clear up an interior depth chart that includes Miguel Rojas, Gavin Lux, Tommy Edman, Amed Rosario and Nick Ahmed. A return to his former position would also bolster the Dodgers’ dismal outfield production.
About a month ago, Betts was asked by reporters about the possibility of returning to right field.
“If they want to go there, I can go there too,” he said. “Like I said, right now, I feel like I can do just about anything, especially if I can get some work at it. Whatever it takes to have the best team on the market.”
Whatever Betts said on the record, he would have been entirely justified in refusing an outside assignment.
He was not responsible for the injuries that prompted his move to second base. He certainly wasn’t responsible for the mistaken assumption that Lux could be a suitable shortstop, which inspired his latest position change.
If Betts came to prefer the infield, the Dodgers have only themselves to blame for constructing lineups that required him to switch positions. Betts has earned the right to do what makes him most comfortable. He has to do what he thinks is necessary to produce offensively.
Roberts didn’t think that would be a problem, however.
“When he played different positions, last year for example, he had one of his best years,” Roberts said. “So I don’t think that … playing two different positions affects Mookie because, to use his words, when he plays defense, he plays defense, and when he’s in the box, he’s focused on rebounding.”
As long as it doesn’t negatively affect Betts as a hitter, returning to right field could allow the Dodgers to better maximize their roster.
Before the injury, Betts was a below-average shortstop, which was understandable considering the last time he played there regularly was in high school. The six weeks he missed seem to have set him back. Ahmed, the team’s current substitute, won two Gold Gloves in the position. The sidelined Rojas is also a premium defensive shortstop.
Even if the shortstop experiment for the season ends — Betts could try again next season after spending an entire winter training at the position — what about second base? There, the Dodgers have Lux, who is batting over .400 in his last 15 games. With how weak, the bottom of the order seemed sometimes they prefer not to remove the left-handed bat from the lineup.
Newly acquired Kevin Kiermaier is a top-notch defensive center fielder, and Edman can also play center field, which could lead to rookie Andy Pages in a platoon role in right field with Jason Heyward. Corner outfielders are expected to hit, and Pages and Heyward haven’t done that much lately, which is why Betts might be a better fit there.
“Mookie has told me repeatedly, whatever it takes to make us the best club, that’s what he’s willing to do,” Roberts said.
If the Dodgers decide Betts should play right field, they will have to be mindful of how they approach him. They don’t want a player of Betts’ caliber to feel disrespected or taken for granted.
Actors are important, but if the Dodgers win the World Series will ultimately come down to its superstars.
For Shohei Ohtani.
For Freddie Freeman.
For Betts.
Special players will have to be special in October for the Dodgers to win, just like Betts and Corey Seager did the last time the team won a championship.
Betts has to position himself to perform like this, whether in the infield or outfield. What’s best for him is also what’s best for the team.
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This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.
