Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Laments Injury Costing Him in NL MVP Chase

Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts was on pace to earn his first MLB Most Valuable Player award this season.

But, a 97.9 mph four-seam fastball had different plans in mind for the five-time MLB All-Star. Betts was struck by a pitch in June, sidelining him for two months with a fractured hand and taking him out of the National League MVP race.

In the beginning of the season, two Dodgers were in the running for the MVP award, Betts and Shohei Ohtani. With Betts out of the race, Ohtani has risen to the top, emerging as the frontrunner for the award. 

Although it is unfortunate that an injury cut Betts’ MVP run short, the two-time World Series champion does not prioritize achieving personal goals.

“Yeah, for sure,” Betts said to the Orange County Register’s Bill PIunkett when he asked if Betts’ injury might have robbed fans of a two-man, one-team MVP race in the NL. “That’s always a personal goal. Personal goals don’t really matter. You’d like to get them. But stuff like that, that’s ancillary-type things. 

Betts has collected MVP votes in eight of his first 10 seasons, including five times in the American League and in three of his four seasons with the Dodgers (2020, 2022, 2023). However, among his long list of accolades, a National League MVP award is not included among them. 

“That would have been cool [to win NL MVP]. But God has his plans,” Betts said to Plunkett. 

Since returning from his injury on Aug. 12, Betts has proven that he is still the MVP-caliber player that he was before the fractured hand. He has slashed .301/.362/.542 since the injury. 

Betts blasted a three-run homer Wednesday after the Angels’ manager Ron Washington chose to walk Ohtani to get to Betts. His 15th home run of the season gave the Dodgers an insurmountable 6-2 lead in the 10th inning — and elicited an emotional reaction from the 31-year-old.

Even though Betts will not be crowned the NL MVP this season, his baseball resume suggests he’ll have another chance if he can remain healthy for a full season. 

Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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