Few players in baseball are capable of defending multiple positions on the diamond at a high level, and those players are often utility guys who ride the bench, aside from Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts.
Betts came up with the Boston Red Sox as a second baseman, moved to center field, then settled in at right field for years where he won multiple Gold Gloves, and now the Dodgers are sliding him over to shortstop full-time this season after he was slated to begin the year at second base.
According to Dodgers beat reporter Juan Toribio of MLB.com, Betts said that being the everyday shortstop is “a lot of pressure, but I like it.”
#Dodgers Betts, on the challenge of being an everyday shortstop: "It's always a lot of pressure, especially going and being a Dodger, it's a lot of pressure. So being a Dodger, being the shortstop for the Dodgers, is a lot of pressure. But I like it."
— Juan Toribio (@juanctoribio) March 8, 2024
Betts started 77 games in right field last season, 62 at second base, and 12 at short.
Heading into spring training, Betts was slated to be the starting second baseman while Gavin Lux was penciled in as the starting shortstop following a missed 2023 season due to a torn ACL.
The Dodgers swapped the two after Lux made an array of errant throws to first base during spring training, opting to move him back to second where the throws will be easier.
The 12 starts Betts made at short last season were the first 12 of his professional career, but he has shown no problem moving around the diamond in recent years and there’s no reason to believe he’ll have a problem this time around.
The free-agent acquisitions of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto generated all the headlines for the Dodgers this offseason, but this is a major subplot to follow that could have a significant impact on the team.
NEXT: Former Player Speaks Out Against Recent Mookie Betts Move