Dave Roberts makes bold claim on Mookie Betts’ shortstop role

Mookie Betts seems to have made shortstop his role in 2025 after a good start at the defensive position. Last year, the long-time outfielder was asked to change his position to infield due to team needs. However, the three-time World Series champion went back to the outfield in the postseason.

But this time, with a full offseason to prepare, the LA Dodgers star has made the position his own. After logging 75.1 innings at the position, Betts has made only two errors, resulting in .977 FPCT. It's .10 uptick from last season.

On Monday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made his feelings known on the way Betts is handling shortstop duties.

"Yeah, I think so. I think last year it was certainly experimental," Roberts told reporters. "There was a lot of indecisiveness with reading hops, making throws, using different arm angles — where now, everything just seems more fluid. And certainly, the confidence is exuded every single time he's out there. So yeah, I just see him as a major league shortstop."

Betts' hard-hit and barrel rates have dipped slightly. However, Roberts thinks it has nothing to do with his shortstop position.

"It is a more demanding position," Roberts added. "Mookie’s got his weight back up. He feels strong. I think some of it is about where you're making contact — on the barrel versus off the end of the bat — pitch selection, exit velocity, stuff like that. So I don’t think anyone can definitively say that playing shortstop is the reason his exit velo is down or not."

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Last season, Betts committed 12 errors in 324.2 innings in defense.

Mookie Betts draws praise from Dodgers' teammate for prioritising team needs

Transferring from outfield to infield and that too as a shortstop, is a tall task. But Mookie Betts seems to have taken things well and has adapted given the team's situation.

This elicited praise from Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy, who said:

"Mookie's different. I think this kind of challenge is really fun for him. I think he just really enjoys it. He's had to put in a lot of hard work -- a lot of work that people haven't seen -- but I just think he's such a different guy when it comes to the challenge of it that he's really enjoying it.

"When you look at how he approaches it, he's having so much fun trying to get as good as he can be. There's not really any question in anyone's mind here that he's going to be a very good defensive shortstop."

About the author

Krutik Jain is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. It was in 2018 when the baseball bug bit Krutik, and already a cricket fan, he credits baseball's rules and Clayton Kershaw's pitching to have hooked him to the game.

A Kershaw and Mookie Betts fan, Krutik rates his favorite team LA Dodgers triumphing over Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series as his best baseball moment so far. His answer to the perennial "one player from the past you could meet" question is Jackie Robinson. Despite never having seen him play, Robinson's impact, legacy and trail-blazing journey have left an indelible impact on Krutik.

A rigorous fact-checker, Krutik likes reporting on the technical aspects of the game as well as off-field elements. When not watching baseball, Krutik is busy playing cricket, staying up to date with the happenings around the world and hiking.

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Edited by Debasish