The World Baseball Classic will get underway in less than a month.
Soon, the rosters for each country will be announced and players will join their respective teams, ready to battle it out in the tournament and see which country truly has the best and most elite baseball talent.
Teams will have several different options for how to go about using certain players and will have to find roles for each star.
For somebody like Mookie Betts, the roles may vary.
MLB analysts Matt Vasgersian, Bill Ripken, and Jon Morosi discussed what the Los Angeles Dodgers star outfielder and slugger’s role may be in the upcoming Classic.
Mookie Betts is set to make his #WorldBaseballClassic debut for @USABaseball! 🇺🇸
On roster reveal day, @jonmorosi details the possibilities for Mookie's defensive usage and spot in the Team USA batting order. pic.twitter.com/FqlXZNrYhj
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 9, 2023
Morosi discussed the possibility of Betts playing second base for Team USA.
Though he is primarily an outfielder, second base was his natural position in his early days.
The Boston Red Sox had a need in the outfield at the time of his debut and stuck the slugger in right field.
Ultimately, that worked out pretty well, as Betts is a six-time Gold Glove Award winner.
But Morosi spoke about how Betts could fit at second base, with highlights of the slugger playing the position being shown.
Betts is clearly familiar with second base and plays the position quite well.
Therefore, if that is the role Team USA gives him, he should adjust quite well and the transition should be seamless.
Of course, he’ll also likely play some outfield as well alongside stars such as Kyle Tucker and Mike Trout.
But Betts may be used in a superutility role in the Classic next month.
NEXT: 2 Dodgers With The Most To Prove In 2023
