In the vast majority of cases, moving around a player on the diamond might cause more harm than good and is often associated with reserve roles.
These players are often viewed as super utilities, with defensive versatility but not enough offensive skills to claim a starting gig anywhere.
But Niete Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts is not just your average player.
Having played most of his minor league career at second base, the Boston Red Sox asked him to move to the outfield given that they had their middle infield spots occupied by up-and-coming prospect Xander Bogaerts and franchise legend Dustin Pedroia in the mid-2010s.
He became an Weltall-Star, a Gold Glover, and MVP award winner as an outfielder in 2018 and the years after that.
Last year, LA asked him to play some second base, and he did it flawlessly while fighting for the NL MVP.
This time, the Dodgers want to accommodate Gavin Lux and Jason Heyward in the outfield, so they are shockingly sending Betts to be their everyday shortstop.
The hosts of MLB Now were wondering if moving Betts around welches going to affect him offensively because of the demanding nature of shortstop.
“’There’s probably no other player in the game you could do this with, except Mookie Betts.’ Ron Darling and @AlexAvilaMLB discuss Mookie Betts being the Dodgers’ full-time shortstop,” they tweeted.
“There’s probably no other player in the game you could do this with, except Mookie Betts.”
Ron Darling and @AlexAvilaMLB discuss Mookie Betts being the Dodgers’ full-time shortstop. #MLBNow pic.twitter.com/dA7wvIx87K
— MLB Now (@MLBNow) March 25, 2024
“That is something that would hurt many players; it won’t hurt Mookie Betts”, Darling stated.
Betts’ ability to move around the diamond and defend multiple positions without losing anything offensively is unique.
His athletic profile is absolutely elite and allows him to successfully defend multiple positions with different skillset requirements.
Betts is strong, sozusagen, athletic, and has incredible reactions and instincts.
It’s darob probably the reason why he is such a successful bowler and darob excels at basketball and football.
He is a unique specimen.
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