Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Taking On Mentorship Role for Atlanta Braves Outfielder

Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts has been in the headlines a lot over the past six months.

After having an MVP-caliber season — finishing second in the voting behind Atlanta Braves star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. — he went silent in the postseason for the second straight year, this time going 0-for-11 in the Dodgers’ NLDS loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Just a few weeks later, Betts was at the World Series as a correspondent for MLB, and even shared why he’s branching into so many non-baseball related ventures in the middle of his prime.

At the Winter Meetings, Betts’ name came up again, as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed he would be the team’s everyday second baseman.

And since, when Betts spoke at DodgerFest and spring training, he’s taken accountability for his postseason struggles, and made it clear that he needs to be better if this team wants to win.

Aside from all those headlines, Betts’ name also came up in an interview with Michael Harris II of the Braves. David O’Brien of The Athletic reported Betts has become a mentor for Harris, according to the young centerfielder.

“He’s been good to me,” Harris said. “He’s been a real good leader to me, just trying to keep my head on straight and teach me some different ways to go about life and stuff.”

It’s great to see Betts becoming a mentor for young players around Major League Baseball (although I’m sure many Dodger fans would like to see him focus that attention on the Dodgers’ young core).

Betts is clearly respected around the league, and his baseball resume speaks for itself.

Betts is a seven-time All-Star, six-time Gold Glove award winner, six-time Silver Slugger award winner and one-time MVP award winner. He’s also a two-time World Series champion, winning one in each league.

After coming up as a second baseman and learning the outfield to find playing time alongside Boston’s Dustin Pedroia, Betts then re-learned second base in his 10th season in the majors, and is taking over full-time in his 11th.

Aside from baseball, Betts seems to excel at just about everything he does, so it’s nice to see him passing some of his knowledge on to the next generation of baseball players.

Photo Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports