Dodgers News: Mookie Betts Nears Elite Company Among Short Players with Power at the Plate

Coming in at five foot nine inches from Nashville, Tennessee, Mookie Betts is looking to etch his name into the short king history books sometime this season.

Betts is looking to become the fourth player 5’9 or shorter to hit 40 home runs in a season. He would also become the first player to reach the feat in the past 50 years.

The list that Betts will soon join contains three Hall of Famers. Hat tip to MLB Network for the note.

Dodgers legend Roy Campanella, Mel Ott and Hack Wilson are all players who proved that heart over height is a truthful statement.

In 1929 Ott became the first player under 5’9 to hit 40 home runs. He hit 42 for the then-New York Giants.

Ott’s record did not hold for long. The next season Wilson set a record that has yet to be topped when he hit 56 home runs for the Cubs.

No other vertically challenged players came close to either Ott or Wilson until Campanella came into the league for the Dodgers. In the 1953 season, the legendary catcher slugged 41 home runs. Just one shy of Ott.

Now Mookie has a serious chance of joining this list. With just about 40 games remaining, Betts has already set his career high in home runs with 34. At the pace that he has been going this season, Betts should be reaching the 40-home-run mark as the year ends.

In the month of August, Betts has already hit seven home runs. All he needs is six more.

He’s won an MVP, two World Series and multiple gold gloves. Will this be another trophy in Betts’ case at season’s end?

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Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports