While it’s true that the defending World Series champions Los Angeles Dodgers enter the home stretch occupying first place in the NL West Division, there is still the season-long concern to address involving the underwhelming performance of veteran Mookie Betts.
Back on July 22, 2020, Betts agreed to a 12-year contract extension with the Dodgers worth $365 million with a $65 million signing bonus. Up until this season, the 32-year-old outfielder/shortstop/second baseman was hitting up to expectations. For whatever reason, the Dodgers star, who is an 11-year veteran, finds himself hitting only .239 with 99 hits, 12 home runs, and 51 RBI, which are way below his normal statistics.
Betts, who is an eight-time All-Star along with a three-time World Series winner, was in late July benched for a bit by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts before finding himself in the unfamiliar role of batting leadoff, which lasted for about 11 games before he went back to his more familiar number 2 spot in the order.
Earlier in August, when Betts was mired in an ugly 0-16 slump, his lack of confidence was evident when he remarked,
“I‘ve done everything possible, It’s just kind of the same result. I’m out of answers. I’ve done everything I can do. It’s up to God at this point.”
Coming into the season, Betts has had a .290 batting average and has averaged 142 hits, 93 runs, 24 home runs, and 73 RBIs throughout his career.
Betts Needs to Improve at the Plate Down the Stretch
Betts Receives Loud Ovation From Dodger Stadium Crowd
In showing that they are behind their star player, Dodger Stadium fans tried to get Betts going when, on Monday, August 4th, they gave him a standing ovation prior to his at-bats during what turned out to be a 3-2 loss against the St. Louis Cardinals. The warm gesture was definitely noticed and appreciated by Betts. Unfortunately, Betts went hitless in that first game, but a day later, he received another ovation with pay off in a 3 for 4 performance during a Tuesday night 12-6 win against the Cardinals.
“Thank you to all the Dodger fans, It’s super special,” Betts said about the ovations. “It’s the first time I’ve ever gotten anything like that. If I’m in this situation, I know Dodger Stadium is behind me.”
Back in June 2024, Betts Suffered Fractured Hand When Hit By Pitch
What baseball fans might not remember is that back in June 2024, Betts was hitting .304 when, in the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals, he was drilled by a pitch in the hand and missed a couple of months with a fracture. Upon returning a couple of months later, Betts didn’t play up to his standards at the plate, where he hit for only a .263 average. This year, he admitted to not feeling one hundred percent with that hand.
Overall, it hasn’t been a good year, starting back in March when it was reported he was dealing with a lingering virus, which resulted in various symptoms such as vomiting, which caused him to lose approximately 11 pounds and not be in prime playing condition.
Betts also experienced heartbreak when, in late July, he travelled to Nashville to be with family after his stepfather passed away.
“My stepdad passed, so I had to go home,” Betts said in late July. “(He’s) been there in my life from fourth grade until now, so that was tough for me and the family.”
Teammate Freddie Freeman has been a huge supporter of Betts. Freeman has been stressing the importance of not letting frustration get the better of him and not being so discouraged.
Betts Ultimate Career Achievement
Originally, Betts was drafted in the fifth round by the Boston Red Sox in 2011 but didn’t make his professional debut until 2014. Throughout the years, Betts has built up quite the impressive baseball resume which besides the three World Series titles and eight All-Star game appearances also includes being voted the 2018 AL MVP, six-time Gold Glove Award winner (2016-2020 and 2022) along with being a seven-time Silver Slugger Award winner (2016, 2018=2020 and 2022-2024). Other career achievements include winning the 2018 AL batting title by hitting .346.
It’s no secret that if the Dodgers are to take a serious run at defending their World Series title, then it’s essential that they get more consistency and power from the Dodgers star.
Main Image: William Liang-Imagn Images
