LOS ANGELES – Mookie Betts is back batting leadoff for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It’s the first time in over a year that Betts is batting ahead of fellow superstar Shohei Ohtani. The move is to try and give him a spark from a bad slump, as he’s batting .183 over his last 30 games with a .513 OPS in that stretch.
The move resulted in Betts going 1-for-4 with a strikeout.
It’s been a down year for the 32-year-old as a whole, as he’s batting .241 with 11 home runs and 45 RBI. It’s the first time since 2016 that Betts was not selected as an All-Star.
Even with the news of the lineup change, he wants to set the record straight that wherever he bats in the lineup won’t necessarily be the reason for any resurgence that he’s looking to have.
“There’s no outside reasons outside of myself,” Betts told MLBbro.com before the team’s series finale against the Brewers. “I’m trying to fix it, but there are no reasons you can use to quantify this.”
This is a new challenge that Betts has been facing in his illustrious career. We’ve all been accustomed to seeing him being a bring spot in a lineup, no matter how the rest of the team is performing. But as of now, while he’s still being put at the top of the lineup, even he’s admitting that he’s a question mark.
“This is a process I’ve never been through, so I don’t have any answers. I don’t know how to get through this…I’m working everyday, so hopefully it turns.”
At this point, it’s more of a mental thing than anything. Betts has been one of the best players in this game for over a decade and is a first ballot Hall of Famer when it’s all said and done. But even with his stacked resumé, even the best can have their confidence rattled.
“I definitely think confidence is a part of it…my confidence will come in my preparation, and obviously I have not prepared right…it’s hard for me to take a confident swing in there. I have to figure out how to prepare the right way.”
Although fans and media are concerned about Mookie’s slump, he still has plenty of time to get it to click by the time the postseason rolls around. He’s a career .259 hitter in October, and has come clutch for his team more times than not.
The slump isn’t just with Betts, it’s with the Dodgers as a whole. They’re 2-10 in their last 12 games, including their worst loss in Dodgers Stadium history on the 4th of July. However, all in all, the rest of the league still has to give their respect to the Dodgers and Betts. Because if there’s anyone who we can count on turning things around for the better, it would be them.
