Mookie Betts could be forgiven for thinking he is a pretty good right fielder in baseball. The Los Angeles Dodgers star has, after all, won six Gold Glove awards – given annually to the top defensive players at each position.
Yet for opening day Thursday, he was not patrolling the outfield for Major League Baseball’s defending champions. He was standing on the infield dirt at arguably the sport’s most demanding position: shortstop.
The list of right fielders of his caliber in baseball history who made a switch to shortstop is an easy one to remember. There is no one. But as the Dodgers continue their quest to become baseball’s next great dynasty, Mr. Betts is doing his part by attempting something no one has quite seen before.
His decision is equal parts unselfishness and courage.
The Dodgers have plenty of outfield talent. Were Mr. Betts to take his traditional position in right field, the Dodgers would have to leave a talented batter on the bench. At shortstop, he allows the Dodgers to field their most potent lineup.
The move is “what I feel like is best for the team,” Mr. Betts has said.
No one knows the challenge better than Mr. Betts. A shortstop must cover more ground than any other infielder and launch the ball across the diamond often from contorted positions no yoga master could imagine. A shortstop is a ballet dancer, butterfly catcher, and artillery captain all in one.
Though Mr. Betts was drafted as a shortstop, he had never played the position in the big leagues until last season. His attempt to switch positions began then – and did not go well. He had nine errors in 61 games before getting injured and returning to right field.
“This is really hard,” Mr. Betts said during the experiment. “It’s really, really hard.”
But he has returned this spring determined to succeed. And no Dodgers are doubting him. The team acquired him from the Boston Red Sox in 2020 “not just for his supreme talent, but for his work ethic and competitive edge and how those qualities seemed to elevate those around him,” wrote Alden Gonzalez on on the ESPN website.
For Mr. Betts, that means trying something historic, free from fears of ridicule or failure.
“I know it’s a tough challenge, but when stuff is not challenging, who has fun?” he told MLB.com in 2024. “And let’s say something happens where I’m not able to do it, you can … guarantee it wasn’t for a lack of effort.”
