Why the Dodgers arent moving Mookie Betts back to

Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts wished to set the report straight: Mookie Betts is his shortstop.

“Mookie,” Roberts said, “will not go to right field.”

Roberts repeated the phrase a couple of instances, as if he was decided to quash any hypothesis about another late-season place change for Betts.

“Mookie,” Roberts said again, “will not go to right field.”

There it’s, immediately from the man who palms the lineup card to the umpire every evening.

So ignore the noise and stop the chatter.

Mookie Betts is the Dodgers’ shortstop.

Betts is the Dodgers’ shortstop now, Betts will likely be the Dodgers’ shortstop next week, and Betts will likely be the Dodgers’ shortstop in the postseason.

The only instances Roberts said he envisioned Betts returning to proper area was late in video games in which the Dodgers ran out of bench gamers. A state of affairs like that got here up a few weeks in the past in a sport against the Angels. Miguel Rojas, an infielder, was deployed as a pinch hitter in the top of the eighth inning and remained in the sport at shortstop. Betts defended proper area for an inning.

Roberts isn’t sticking with Betts at shortstop because of their close relationship. He’s sticking with Betts at shortstop because of how Betts has performed the place.

Betts entered his group’s weekend sequence against the Arizona Diamondbacks main all major league shortstops in defensive runs saved (15).

He was ninth in outs above average (4).

He was also fifth in fielding proportion (.985).

“When you’re talking about shortstop play, you’re looking for consistency, and I’ve just loved the consistency,” Roberts said. “He’s made every play he’s supposed to make, and then the last couple weeks, he’s made spectacular plays. He’s been a big part of preventing runs. “

Roberts is equally, if not more, encouraged by how Betts has looked.

“Right now, it’s all instinct instead of the technical part of it, how to do this or that,” Roberts said. “I think he’s free to just be a major league shortstop. I truly, to this day, have never seen a position change like Mookie has.”

A six-time Gold Glove Award winner as a proper fielder, Betts moved to shortstop late in spring training last 12 months when it turned evident the group didn’t have an on a regular basis participant at the place. The last time he spent important time at shortstop was in high faculty.

By mid-June, Betts was about a league-average shortstop but additional progress was derailed by a damaged hand that landed him on the injured listing. When Betts was activated a couple of months later, he returned as a proper fielder. He remained there throughout the Dodgers’ World Series run.

However, Betts was decided to take another shot at enjoying shortstop. Unlike the earlier 12 months, he was ready to practice at this place over the offseason, working with Dodgers coaches and former All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. The preparation has made a noticeable distinction.

Betts has improved to where he now feels snug meting out advice on how to play the place, repeatedly offering pointers to rookie infielder Alex Freeland.

“It’s the smallest details,” Freeland said. “I give him so much credit because he makes the small things matter the most because a lot of those smaller details go overlooked by a lot of players where they’re like, ‘Oh, we don’t need to focus on that, something so minute, it’s not going to matter.’ But Mookie takes all the small details and makes them very important.”

Roberts anticipated this of Betts, whom he considers one of the group’s leaders alongside Freddie Freeman and Clayton Kershaw. He pointed to how Betts has carried himself in the worst offensive season of his profession, his relentless work ensuing in him batting .329 over the last three weeks.

“I love how Mookie is always accountable,” Roberts said. “There’s been times where he’s been really good and times he hasn’t but he’s never run from having the conversation or owning the fact that he’s underperforming. His work has never wavered. So for me, that’s something that when you’re talking about one of the leaders in your clubhouse, it really resonates with everyone, coaches included. I’m always going to bet on him.”

So a lot so that Roberts has wagered the season on him.

Mookie Betts is his shortstop — now, next week and in the postseason.