Dodgers sportscaster shares insights on Mookie Betts's different approach for 2025 season from previous years

Longtime Los Angeles Dodgers sportscaster Tim Neverett shared his views on star player Mookie Betts’ approach for the upcoming season. The Dodgers have landed in Tokyo, Japan, to start the 2025 season with a two-game series against the Chicago Cubs, commencing on Tuesday.

Betts is set to enter the season as the team’s shortstop after spending the offseason preparing for the position. In a recent Dodgers Nation interview, Neverett discussed Betts's preparation for playing shortstop, noting that he has always taken ground balls at various infield positions, even when he primarily played as an outfielder.

However, for the 2025 season, Betts is showing a different approach. Speaking about this, Neverett said (17:56):

“This year, I'm seeing him do something I don't really recall, and that includes last year when he played shortstop. The way that he's charging the ball now and throwing on the run. I think he got that from, you know, there's a lot made about Troy Tulowitzki working with him over the winter.

“I watched Tulo a lot when I was in Colorado before I went to Pittsburgh, and that's how Tulo would play. He constantly moved his feet toward the infield grass and he would throw off balance sometimes.”

During the offseason, former Gold Glove-winning shortstop Troy Tulowitzki helped Mookie Betts refine his skills at the position. Tulowitzki has also expressed confidence in Betts' potential as a shortstop.

Dodgers sportscaster Tim Neverett on Mookie Betts’s chance of winning Gold Glove at shortstop

Last year, Mookie Betts showcased some promising skills at shortstop but also struggled, particularly with his throwing. Of his nine errors in 531 1/3 innings at shortstop, eight were throwing errors.

Discussing Betts’s chances of winning a Gold Glove at shortstop, Tim Neverett said (19:24):

“I think that he is going to make a, he could make a run. I'm not saying he's going to win a Gold Glove at shortstop, but it would not shock me one bit. If he does, and that would be amazing to see, you know, a former MVP, six-time Gold Glover in the outfield come in the infield to play the toughest position arguably a short and win one there. But that's his goal; he wants to be the best shortstop there is.”

Mookie Betts has an impressive resume that includes six Gold Glove awards as a right fielder. If he were to win one at shortstop, he would join a rare group of players who have won Gold Gloves at multiple positions.