Shortstop Mookie Betts had one of his worst seasons at the plate in 2025 after focusing all offseason on his defensive shortstop abilities.
Betts moved to shortstop during the 2024 season for a small cameo appearance, but he ended up struggling and moving back to right outfield once other players got healthy.
The former Boston Red Sox star has racked up Gold Glove nominations and critical acclaim during his time in right field, dating back to when he broke into the majors with Boston.
However, he does have some background as an infielder from his early playing career, and the Dodgers tested him in 2024 by moving him to the infield amid a run of injuries.
Ever the player to take on a challenge, Betts worked hard in the lead-up to the 2025 season to become a better shortstop, cleaning up his tenchinque and fielding a high volume of ground balls.
The result was a magical 2025 season as a fielder, making athletic plays with his glove and arm, earning a Gold Glove nomination, and becoming a finalist for the award.
At DodgerFest, Betts revealed that he will be back to shortstop, aiming to end his Dodgers career at his new position, a truly unprecedented move at his age and point in his career.
“I’m 100 percent sure I’ll be able to,” Betts said.
However, while his position will remain the same, Betts will adjust his body to improve his overall level of play after a down offensive production year.
“Just kind of rewiring my body to do what I wanted it to do. Even though it was down last year, before I got sick, I was probably having one of the best springs I’ve ever had,” he said during Dodgerfest.
“So I just got to get back to just rewiring and trusting myself. I’m really not worrying about having a bad year last year. Just putting that out of my mind and not even trying to have a good year this year.
“It’s really just playing. Just play, have fun, and we’ll get there whenever we get there.”
What is Mookie Betts going to change with his swing?
In terms of specifically his swing, Betts uses his changes to his body, along with mechanical changes, to produce a consistent swing that he can roll out early on in the season.
He started with an early iteration of his adjusted swing during the offseason and feels confident about his progress as Spring Training approaches.
“More just rewiring my mechanics, my brain, the motor patterns,” Betts explained. “I think it kind of got out of whack early on, and once I got out of whack early, it was just like a snowball effect.
“And so now I’ve gotten to put the training wheels on, take my time, and really stack positive days. I stacked positive days over and over, and now we’re in a really good spot.”
With the right adjustments, Dodgers fans could see the best version of Betts yet: a player who plays the most valuable defensive position at an elite level, with production in line with his typical baseline.
