Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts suffered from a brutal slump during the 2025 season after he missed the early-season preparation due to an illness.
Betts ended up hitting .258/.326/.406 with 20 home runs. His batting average, on-base percentage, slug rate, and OPS were all career lows, along with his OPS+.
He played 150 games, missing just 12 all year long, but all of the work that he did on defense clearly cost him in the batter’s box.
His slump was really bad in the middle of the season, and things picked up towards the end, but he never reached his typical level.
According to Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain, the organization believes his weight loss during his illness played a role in the slump, leading to a loss of power and typical balance for the outfielder-turned-infielder.
However, regardless of the reason why he struggled, the Dodgers, Dave Roberts, and Mookie Betts all threw everything at the wall to get him firing again.
Mookie Betts reached out to an old friend
During an appearance on “Dodger Talk” with David Vassegh, former Dodger J.D. Martinez revealed that he spent time helping Betts.
“I mean, me and Mook go way back, so for him, I definitely made the exception of coming out and going out there and spending a weekend with him and trying to get him back on track,” Martinez said.
“It was fun. We did it a few times. I did it in LA, too. I mean, I think we built a lot of trust. He trusts me.
“He values my opinion on everything, and from there, it was kind of one of those things where we just, we work well together. I feel like I just have a really good understanding of his swing and his mind.
“I feel like I just have a really good understanding of his swing and his mind. Mookie’s, you know, unbelievable talent as everybody knows. It’s just, sometimes this game, it just derails you sometimes, and you need someone to lock it back in.”
MVP expectations
The Dodgers are putting MVP hopes on Betts, hoping that he can reach his former heights as a player with a full offseason of work in terms of hitting now that he has the shortstop position down.
While the expectations are high, Los Angeles does not need an MVP-caliber Mookie Betts, but rather one that lies between his best season and last year.
Do you think Mookie will bounce back next year?
One Response
I can’t trust that Betts will “bounce back”. It’s not only because of last year. While it wasn’t as bad as last year, he showed an inconsistent approach to hitting the year before too. He’s going to have to prove that he can bounce back before I believe it.