You don’t have to be close to Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts to understand how competitive he is.
He likes something, and immediately feels the need to be the best at it.
You can’t be an MVP in MLB, a bowling champion, and a skilled football and basketball player without this mindset.
You just can’t.
Betts, who has won a Gold Glove as an outfielder, came up as a second baseman with the Boston Red Sox in 2014.
After a few years without playing the keystone on a regular basis, he is doing it quite frequently for the Dodgers and Team USA.
Both of those teams happen to need him more at second than in the outfield, at least for the time being.
Betts happens to be taking groundballs at shortstop too, in addition to second base.
He is not a natural shortstop, but reports indicate that he looks very comfortable there.
Mookie Betts looked so natural taking ground balls at shortstop that Mike Trout couldn't help but ask if he'd play shortstop in the WBC:
"No, they won't let me.''— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 9, 2023
Team USA has three star-level players capable of playing shortstop with recent experience there: Tim Anderson, Trea Turner, and Bobby Witt Jr.
One would think Turner, one of the most dynamic players in MLB, will be the starter.
In the event of an emergency, however, it appears Betts is capable of playing the position even if the Dodgers don’t like it.
The 2018 AL MVP is coming off a career-high 35 home runs in 2022, so his bat certainly plays everywhere in the lineup.
He wants to take his country to the top spot and help it defend its 2017 title.
By looking at the stars on the American roster, they are very much capable of achieving that goal.
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