Mookie Betts, Gold Glove Second Baseman? 'No Doubt About It,' Says Dodgers Coach
Mookie Betts seems to excel at just about everything he does in sports. The Dodgers' superstar plays Gold Glove defense in the outfield, bowls a perfect game, and can dunk a basketball. That's even more impressive when you consider his 5-foot-9 frame.
During his 10-year major league career, Betts has brought home some serious hardware. He's won six Silver Slugger awards, six Gold Gloves, two World Series, made seven All-Star games and captured the 2019 American League MVP award.
Then, in 2023, he showed off his elite athleticism by starting 63 games at second base and 12 games at shortstop. At no point did it seem like he was uncomfortable transitioning to the infield.
His play at second base gave the Dodgers' front office the ability to name him their everyday second baseman for 2024. Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel joined SportsNet LA and talked about just how good Betts can be at second base,
"In the WBC I told Mark DeRosa, ‘If this guy played every day in the big leagues at second base, he’s a Gold Glover.’"
Before last year, Betts appeared in only 30 MLB games as a second baseman. However, his comfort there should come as no surprise, as it's his favorite position.
Betts was drafted in 2011 and came up through the Boston Red Sox organization as a second baseman. However, the Red Sox already had a second baseman in Dustin Pedroia, so Betts moved to the outfield and mastered its demands.
Now that he's moved back to the infield full time, it seems Betts has a new position to master. Ebel thinks this could raise Betts' intensity to prove the naysayers wrong,
"I know he’s happy, he wants to play second. So if you get a Mookie Betts that is determined to show everybody that he can be the everyday second baseman, he’s gonna prove a lot of people wrong. He’ll end up winning Gold, no doubt about it. That’s how I feel."
If Betts can win a Gold Glove at second base, he will join very rare company. Only Darin Erstad has won the award in both the outfield and the infield.
Whether that drives him or not, an engaged and happy Betts will be fun to watch in a star-studded Dodgers lineup in 2024.
