Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts has a storied career with both the Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox, but he identifies more with one of those teams.
Dodgers or the Red Sox?
After multiple postseason runs and a legacy with the Dodgers, Betts made it clear he identifies more with the current Dodgers core than with any other team he has played for.
“Going through the losses, going through all the ups and downs is why we are where we are today,” Betts said to The Athletic’s Katie Woo.
“When I’m done playing, I’ll remember Boston, of course. But what I’ll really remember is if somebody said, ‘Oh, you played baseball, like who did you play with?’ These are the guys I’m going to say I played with. That’s my team.”
For Betts, it must be hard to choose between the two franchises since he did well in both places and surely has fond memories of both, but he is known far more as a Dodger and a member of the current dynasty.
Mookie Betts’ History with the Dodgers and Red Sox
Betts has spent more time with the Dodgers, seven seasons, while playing only six years with the Red Sox, though arguably his best baseball came with the Red Sox, and that is where he ascended into superstardom.
In fact, in a statistical comparison, Betts earned 42.5 bWAR in Boston, while he got just 36.5 bWAR for the Dodgers.
He won an MVP with Boston, with a second-place finish, a sixth-place finish, and an eighth-place finish. He also got four Gold Glove awards and three Silver Slugger awards.
He has won three titles with the Dodgers, while he won only one with the Red Sox. Betts has four Silver Slugger awards and two Gold Glove awards.
Additionally, Betts moved from right field to shortstop as a Dodger, making a great transition that few players make in the latter half of their careers.
Given how things ended with the Red Sox, via a trade that was sudden and unexpected, the Dodgers have been a welcoming home for Betts.
He inked a 10-year contract and became the face of the franchise until Shohei Ohtani arrived, helping bring a title to an organization in a drought that struggled to get over the hump.
Betts is a certified Hall of Famer at this point with his resume, and it seems that when he makes it to Cooperstown, he will enter as a Dodger.
One Response
I’m glad to to read that Mookie will enter the Hall of Fame as a Dodger.