Dave Roberts Let Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman Decide Dodgers Batting Order
When the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million contract, manager Dave Roberts was faced with the task of choosing a batting order that included three MVPs in the lineup.
Instead of deciding for himself, Roberts let the players decide.
“We called the three of them into the manager’s office at the same time and talked with just the four of us,” Roberts told Japanese reporter Hideki Kuriyama of Hochi News, a Japanese outlet that was translated to English via Google. “Mookie (Betts) said, ‘I want to bat first or second.’ Shohei said, ‘I don’t care.’ Freddie (Freeman) said, ‘I don’t want to bat only first.’ So we told them that Mookie would be number 1, Shohei would be number 2, and Freddie would be number 3.”
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The lineup took a hit when Betts went on the injured list with a fractured left hand but Ohtani stepped up and volunteered to hit leadoff. When Betts returned in August, Roberts once again left the decision to the players.
“When I asked Shohei, ‘Do you want to bat first?’ he said, ‘Yup.’ Then he hit a lot of home runs… Mookie (Betts), who was just about to return, asked me, ‘When I come back, will you be first or second?’ So I asked him, ‘What do you think?’ and he said, ‘I’ll bat second!’ I’m grateful that players give me answers like this. With Mookie batting second, the lineup would be left, right, left, so even if the opponent hits a left-handed pitcher against Shohei, they’ll have to face Mookie on the right afterwards, so it was convenient. As for Shohei, I also wanted him to have five at-bats in one game.”
Behind the leadership of Ohtani, Betts and Freeman, the Dodgers went on to win the World Series in five games against the New York Yankees.
Ohtani also had the best season of his career becoming the first member of the 50/50 club in MLB history, eventually finishing with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases. He exceed any expectations that were set when he initially signed and won his third MVP, the first in the National League.
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Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
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