Dangerous Habits Derailed Mookie Betts’ Season. A New Mindset May Salvage It.

Mookie Betts isn’t afraid to confess how his yr has gone. 

He is aware of a couple of good weeks can’t erase 4 months of under league-average efficiency on the plate or raise the burden that the eight-time All-Star has carried all through the worst offensive season of his illustrious profession. 

So, he’s adopting a special mindset. 

“My season’s form of over,” Betts mentioned final week. “So, going to need to chalk that up for not an ideal season. However I may also help the boys win each evening, do one thing, get an RBI, make a play, do one thing to form of shift my focus there.”

It’s a brand new method, one which his skipper thinks is the appropriate outlook to help a scuffling Dodgers membership. When Betts is correct, the three-time World Sequence champ is a catalyst like few others within the sport. 

“Getting small wins and taking part in to win every evening, contributing versus attempting to chase a season the place you’re not form of realizing your profession numbers, I feel that’s releasing,” Dave Roberts mentioned. “That’s development from him.”

Recently, there are constructive indicators. Betts is within the midst of a season-long eight-game hitting streak at a time when his workforce wants the manufacturing essentially the most. 

Out of first place within the Nationwide League West for the primary time since April, the Dodgers host the division-leading Padres this weekend within the first of six essential matchups over the subsequent 10 days. 

If the Dodgers are to repeat as World Sequence champions, it is going to be partly resulting from a turnaround from Betts in a season that offered surprising obstacles earlier than it even started. 

“I’m simply attempting to remain contained in the ball, and form of see what occurs,” Betts mentioned. “I’ve had a pair good video games. We’ll see the way it goes.”

An sickness, household loss and ‘unhealthy habits’

Yearly, Betts creates an inventory of targets, which he makes use of as a marker to chart his progress all through the course of a season. 

There are nonetheless 41 regular-season video games left within the Dodgers’ schedule, but solely considered one of Betts’ targets stays attainable in a yr derailed by sickness, harm, private loss and uncharacteristic efficiency. 

“Attempt to win,” Betts mentioned. “That’s the ultimate purpose that I can obtain. All the remainder of them have ‘X’s subsequent to them. The one I can obtain is to win a World Sequence, so I simply need to do what I can for that — and that’s be within the second, each sport.”

A mysterious and vexing abdomen virus started to torment Betts when the Dodgers departed on their season-opening journey to Japan. Betts, who wants all of his 175 kilos to generate the ability that helps make him one of many sport’s most embellished threats, started shedding weight at an alarming charge. He misplaced round 20 kilos within the span of a few weeks and missed each video games of the Tokyo Sequence because the unyielding sickness ran its course. 

Mookie Betts was compelled to overlook the Tokyo Sequence video games in opposition to the Cubs in March resulting from an sickness. (Photograph by Masterpress/Getty Photographs)

He carried out admirably instantly upon his return, recording six hits — together with three house runs — in his first 4 video games again within the lineup. However he was so underweight that he was attempting to fabricate extra energy and bat pace.

Unknowingly, his mechanics on the plate started to slide within the course of. He began working across the baseball in an effort to seek out the barrel, moderately than staying contained in the ball as he had finished so nicely all through his profession. 

“I simply began creating unhealthy habits,” Betts mentioned. “These unhealthy habits, you don’t actually understand you’re doing it, particularly early on. After I got here again, I had a pair good sequence, and I’m like, ‘All proper, we’re good.’”

A 6-for-44 stretch that adopted in the midst of April, throughout which he tallied only one extra-base hit, instructed him in any other case. 

“It labored for like per week,” Betts recalled, “after which after that it obtained worse and worse and worse.” 

Betts recorded a .738 OPS in Could. Each time he began to get going, one other barrier appeared. He stubbed his toe whereas strolling to the lavatory in the midst of the evening and sustained a fracture. Then he tallied a .633 OPS in June.

“I attempted every little thing I do know that normally will get me again on observe or will get me in the appropriate realm, and I can determine it out from there,” Betts mentioned. “However the habits had been so unhealthy, man. The place I used to be, I had by no means been there earlier than.”

He couldn’t discover a treatment. 

So, the spiral continued.

There have been stretches when he thought he is likely to be getting again on observe — 10 hits in six video games on the finish of April, one other 10 hits in 5 video games in early June — just for one other skid to observe. He posted a season-worst .586 OPS in July, a month wherein he was additionally grappling with the dying of his stepfather.  

It’s all a part of navigating life, mentioned Betts, who tries to separate the private from the skilled, as troublesome as it’s as his trials and tribulations play out on a public stage. 

“You do your greatest,” Betts mentioned. “No person actually cares all that you simply undergo earlier than you play a sport. It’s simply in regards to the outcomes. It form of is what it’s, the character of this sport and actually any sport, any skilled sport. 

“No person actually cares what you undergo earlier than, it’s only a matter of what you do throughout that point. I’ve simply been attempting to make use of that point as a getaway.” 

Is shortstop the trigger? ‘These are excuses’ 

Betts’ routine on the ballpark helps him navigate life’s chaos and set up a way of normalcy, although it seems exhausting. 

Within the midst of attempting to relearn his swing, Betts can also be taking up the problem of changing into a full-time shortstop for the primary time in his profession at 32 years previous. Earlier than each sport, he spends hours taking swings within the cage and floor balls on the sphere. Then he hits some extra earlier than first pitch. 

By the metric defensive runs saved, he has remodeled himself into one of many prime 5 defensive shortstops in MLB. However his defensive success is juxtaposed with a dramatic offensive dropoff. He has the fifth-lowest OPS amongst all certified gamers at his place. 

“It’s, like, form of unhappy, you understand?” Betts mentioned. “And I’m not feeling sorry for myself, however unhappy that the one factor you primarily constructed your profession round, you cling your hat on, the rationale why you’ve gotten to the place you’ve gotten to, is the one factor that’s form of, like, utterly allow you to down. 

“The one factor I can get up away from bed and naturally go do is, like, the one factor I’ve to work the toughest on. I at all times labored arduous, however this half form of got here somewhat bit extra pure, whereas shortstop was one thing that was manufactured. Now, it’s nearly the other.”

Mookie Betts has been stable at shortshop, regardless of the continued struggles on the plate. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Occasions by way of Getty Photographs)

It’s not the primary time he has handled lows in his skilled profession. One time in low-A, the multitalented athlete almost stop the sport. Betts, a 2011 fifth-round choose, was hitting underneath .150 greater than a month into the 2013 minor-league season when he considered returning to high school. He deliberate to take the ACT early on a Saturday morning, however he ended up rescheduling when his sport the evening prior went late into the evening. That call was prudent; he went on a tear the remainder of the season and was within the massive leagues a yr later. 

Since then, chilly stretches would come and go, however he at all times discovered his manner out. The 12-year veteran has by no means completed a big-league season with an OPS underneath .800. 

Barring a dramatic turnaround, although, that may change this yr. 

He presently has an OPS of .684. He had hit 45% higher than league common over the course of his first 4 seasons with the Dodgers; this yr, he’s batting under league common for a second-place Dodgers workforce that has but to play to its large potential. 

“He’s going to be OK,” teammate Freddie Freeman mentioned confidently. “I don’t know find out how to say it aside from Mookie Betts goes to be Mookie Betts, and never one individual in blue is apprehensive about something or anybody on our workforce.”

Betts’ anticipated stats are higher than what he has really produced, suggesting some unluckiness within the down yr. His chase charge is up barely from the norm, although nonetheless nicely above league common. His strikeout and whiff charges stay among the many sport’s greatest. 

He’s simply not producing as a lot power as normal. 

His barrel and stroll charges are each down, and his hard-hit charge is the bottom of his profession. He nonetheless doesn’t attribute the bodily toll of taking part in shortstop as the rationale for his offensive shortcomings, viewing the 2 sides of the ball as “utterly totally different.” 

“These are excuses,” Betts mentioned. “I don’t like excuses.” 

These round him keep their perception. 

“All of us have Mook’s again, we all know he is working arduous,” Clayton Kershaw mentioned. “He will get going, this lineup will get scary actually quick.” 

A check-in with an previous teammate

Roberts insists he is not going to transfer Betts down from the No. 2 spot within the order. Betts’ lockermate, Freeman, reminds him to not take criticism from anybody he wouldn’t search recommendation from. 

“Like I instructed him two weeks in the past, I mentioned, ‘You’re Mookie Betts, it’s going to be tremendous. You’re one of many biggest gamers of this era.’” Freeman mentioned. “It’s extra of simply attempting to harp on, ‘Stick with the method, don’t chase.’ As a result of if you’re going by way of it, you need to get outcomes.”

Betts had tried something — every little thing — to seek out these outcomes. 

He thought again to what labored when he was first developing in Boston. In 2018, he constructed a fast friendship with J.D. Martinez when the 2 first grew to become teammates. That they had an analogous ardour for the sport, and Betts appreciated the best way Martinez considered hitting. Even after they had been now not taking part in collectively, Betts would proceed to ship Martinez video of his swing to research. 

So it wasn’t all that stunning earlier this month when Martinez, who’s presently a free agent, determined to test in together with his good friend. Martinez met with Betts when the Dodgers traveled to Tampa and labored together with his former teammate within the cage, as that they had finished so typically earlier than. However there was no instant repair; Betts went hitless that sequence and ultimately discovered himself mired in a career-worst 0-for-22 rut.

“I didn’t know the place to go,” Betts recalled. “Often your outs can form of information you, particularly should you’re in the appropriate realm or no matter. On the surface, I used to be pondering, like, ‘I don’t know find out how to repair it.’ If that was my son, I might inform him, ‘I don’t understand how that will help you with that.’ That’s form of the place I used to be.”

Former Dodgers participant J.D. Martinez lately checked in on Mookie Betts.  (Photograph by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Photographs)

He continued to hunt recommendation from these he trusted. 

“I might say most likely two weeks in a row, he would come to my locker and simply present me video of him hitting and what he’s engaged on and ask me my ideas of what he thinks I feel is mistaken,” Freeman mentioned. 

The veteran first baseman didn’t need to proactively method Betts to supply extra concepts, understanding how many individuals had been already in his teammate’s ear. 

However when Betts got here to him for enter, Freeman supplied it. 

“My complete factor for him hitting was his shoulders,” Freeman mentioned. “His shoulders had been tilted up an excessive amount of for me. When he was swinging, his left shoulder was larger than his proper.”

During the last couple of weeks, when Betts would look into the on-deck circle, Freeman would make a movement to attempt to remind him to maintain his shoulders down. 

“In case your shoulders are down somewhat bit,” Freeman reasoned, “every little thing else will work in line.” 

Recently, Betts is displaying indicators of life on the plate. 

When the Dodgers returned from Tampa on Aug. 4, the house crowd rose to its toes to attempt to encourage Betts, giving him a standing ovation in his first at-bat in opposition to the Cardinals. He went hitless that day however responded the next sport with three hits, together with a double. He doubled once more within the sequence finale, then homered for the primary time in additional than a month to start the sequence in opposition to the Blue Jays. 

“To not get into all the small print of it, however the massive factor is he’s contained in the baseball,” Dodgers hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc mentioned. “So, when he’s out in entrance, he drives it within the air, not on the bottom on the pull facet.” 

Over his final eight video games, Betts has extra hits (14) than he had in his earlier 21 video games (13). Over his final six video games, he has knocked in as many runs (seven) as he had in his earlier 29 video games. 

Betts admits this stretch is encouraging, although he’s cautious to not say he’s out of the woods but, understanding what number of occasions he felt he was heading in the right direction solely to then fall into one other rut. 

However in a season that for therefore lengthy left him trying to find solutions, he appears to have a greater really feel for what he must do to supply. 

“Clearly there’s a mechanical piece that’s actual, that he feels one thing,” Roberts mentioned. “However I feel for me, from my vantage level, I feel there’s much more confidence, conviction within the swings. When the ball’s within the hitting zone, he’s squaring it up.”

This week, Freeman additionally famous an encouraging signal. 

These conferences at his locker have stopped: “That should imply he is feeling good.”

Rowan Kavner is an MLB author for FOX Sports activities. He beforehand coated the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved again to the West Coast in 2014. Comply with him on X at @RowanKavner.

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