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Joe Torre named Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts in his Mount Rushmore alongside Shohei Ohtani, Bryce Harper and Clayton Kershaw. On "The 6-1-1 Podcast" hosted by Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins on the MLB's YouTube channel, Joe Torre was asked about the top four players currently in the league that can be considered as the Mt. Rushmore of the sport.
After naming Shohei Ohtani, Bryce Harper and Clayton Kershaw, Torre included Betts on the list. The Yankees' legendary manager explained that his decision was due to the versatility that Betts brings to the table because of outfield and infield prowess.
"Mookie has so many things going on. He has so much confidence and yet he has the leadership qualities. He plays outfield, plays second, plays short. He gets high marks from me for being a manager's dream," Torre said. [1:02:15 - 1:02:45]
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The Dodgers roster was stacked with outfielders at the end of the 2023 season. This made Dave Roberts permanently move Mookie Betts to second base, a position where he played 70 games last season. However, Gavin Lux suffered an injury ahead of this season, which then prompted Roberts to move the 8x All-Star to the shortstop position.
Betts seemed like a natural right from the beginning, having played in the position in the developmental minor leagues. An injury during an at-bat in a game against the Kansas City Royals on June 16 derailed his season. But even then he has sported a .299 batting average with 49 RBIs, including 12 home runs in 84.
Mookie Betts' WAR over last ten years confirms legendary status
As per Baseball Reference, Mookie Betts ranks 2nd, behind Mike Trout, on the Active Players list with the most Win Abovs Replacement (WAR) since 2015 for position players. Betts has a 69.0 WAR in 6140 plate appearances in that span.
The first five seasons during that spell came with the Boston Red Sox, where he became the clubhouse leader leading them to a World Series championship in 2018, when he also won the American League MVP. After joining the Dodgers, he has maintained that level and is an important figure in the top of the star-studded lineup.
