Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts had a great last few months of the regular season, but he struggled again in October.
Betts is now two full years into his shortstop experiment, and defensively, there is little to complain about.
Some of his throws can go wayward and short to first base, forcing Freddie Freeman to make special plays, but otherwise his glove work has improved a lot.
Mookie Betts’ offensive struggles
His offense, meanwhile, has taken a noticeable hit because of his defensive focus.
In 2025, he posted a 104 OPS+, slightly above league average, with a .258/.326/.406 line. In 2026, after a full offseason to get his swing, he was not much better.
His first-half batting line was .235/.293/. 416, which was good for a 95 OPS+ among players at the time.
The late-season turnaround
Then, in the second half, mainly August and September, he went absolutely nuclear, with a .279/.357/. 492 line and returned to the leadoff spot as Shohei Ohtani and other players struggled.
In September, he hit seven homers with 22 RBIs and posted a ridiculous 1.112 OPS.
However, his postseason was much more muted. He went 6-for-29 with no RBIs, six walks, and four strikeouts.
With such a stark differential, the question is whether his end-of-regular-season numbers will indicate his production in 2027, or whether his postseason shows things still aren’t clicking.
Is the Mookie turnaround real?
FanGraphs projects Betts to have a much better offensive season in 2027.
Their FGDC projection tool has Betts slashing .271/.351/.459 with 24 home runs, 83 RBIs, and a 123 wRC+, along with a 17.1 offensive rating and 4.4 fWAR.
Fangraphs’ projection would be better than both 2025 and 2026, and easily his best offensive season since 2024.
Betts could even blow past this projection if he avoids an injury or illness, something that has plagued him over the last two years.
Peak Betts is likely gone, but what remains is a really good player who can help complement, hopefully, a fully healthy Shohei Ohtani in 2027, and even have a breakout postseason.
2 Responses
I Think Mookie Coming Back Healthy This Year Will Be Just Fine.
The Only Thing I Would Say About Mookie That’s Negative Is His Problem With His Throws To First Is Because He Throws Sidearm Which Anybody Knows When You Throw Sidearm You Throw Sinkers That’s Why The Low Throws,He Needs To Knock The Sidearm Throws Off.