Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts, who represented the United States in the World Baseball Classic (WBC), realized his dream of becoming a shortstop 10 years after his MLB debut.
Betts went into shortstop 바카라사이트defense during the Chicago Cubs away game on the 20th and 21st (local time), and on the 23rd, he also played as a starting shortstop against the Cubs.
Betts was selected by the Boston Red Sox as an infielder in the 2011 draft, but was unable to play infield behind the likes of Dustin Pedroia and Sander Bohartz. He also saw sparse second base defense, but never played at shortstop.
His outfield conversion was a good pick for both Betts and the team. As an outfielder, Betts won six Gold Glove Awards.
But shortstop had been Betts’ long-held dream. He achieved that dream four years after moving to the Dodgers and 10 years after his MLB debut. The club, which is suffering from a shortstop famine due to a series of injuries to existing resources, asked Betts if he could see a shortstop defense, and Betts said yes without hesitation.
He said that people who are good at baseball are good at it. Betts is the epitome of that. At shortstop, the first time since his professional debut, Betts played reliable defense.
The reason the Dodgers chose shortstop Betts is first of all because of injuries. Starting shortstop Gavin Lux suffered a season-out injury in spring training. Backup Miguel Rojas is on the disabled list (IL) with a hamstring injury, and utility resource Chris Taylor is also unwell.
If Betts settles down well as a shortstop, the Dodgers can enjoy an unexpected power-up effect. Rojas, who has been playing as the starting shortstop since Lux’s injury, has a batting average of 0.125 and an OPS of 0.356 so far this season. Even Taylor, who has shown solid batting, is hardly rebounding with a batting average of 0.163 and an OPS of 0.706.
If Betts sees a shortstop, the Dodgers can start outfielders with better hitting than Rojas or Taylor, such as James Outman, Jason Hayward, and David Peralta.
Betts told MLB.com, “The team said they could do anything to win.” He showed confidence, saying, “There is nothing new at all.”