2024 review: Mookie Betts

12/31/2024 02:59 PM

A season in four parts for Betts, who took over shortstop before a broken left hand cost him 8 weeks, then returned to right field the rest of the way, and was the steadiest producer on offense during the Dodgers' title run.

Mookie Betts endured the longest injured-list stint of his career, but the Dodgers star ended his postseason shortcomings en route to securing his third World Series championship, the most among active major league position players.

Gavin Lux returned to the team after missing all of 2023 but struggled to find his groove at shortstop, repeatedly missing the target on his throws during spring training. As a result, the Dodgers opted to have Betts be the primary shortstop, sliding Lux over to second base, making the move only a week and a half before the start of the regular season.

Betts got off to a blistering start to begin the regular season, posting a six-RBI performance in the second game of the Seoul series against the Padres and homering in three straight games against the Cardinals in the Dodgers' opening homestand. His leadoff home run against Cardinals right-hander Zach Thompson on March 29 was Betts' 29th leadoff home run hit as a Dodger, setting a new franchise record.

Over his first 32 games of the season, Mookie Betts was looking like the favorite to win NL MVP, even over his teammate and the eventual winner Shohei Ohtani. Betts led baseball with a .368 average and a 206 wRC+, posting a league-best 2.6 fWAR at the end of April. His 17.2 walk percentage ranked third in all of baseball, just behind Juan Soto and Riley Greene. That earned Betts the National League player of the month award for April, the third monthly honor of his career.

Betts' power production began to fall once the calendar turned to May. He connected for a leadoff home run against the Reds on May 17, the 51st of his career, placing him fifth all-time in leadoff home runs. Over his next 25 games, Betts struggled to maintain his elite early season production, slashing just .235/.336/.347 with two home runs and 11 RBI.

On June 16, Betts was plunked by a fastball from Royals reliever Dan Altavilla, immediately collapsing in pain. Betts fractured his left hand and would miss the next two months, but he didn't need to undergo surgery to fix his hand.

With the recent acquisition of utility man Tommy Edman and with Jason Heyward getting released in August, the Dodgers reverted Betts back to his natural position in right field once he returned from the injured list. Instead of going with Betts, Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman at the top of the Dodgers' lineup, Betts slid down to the number-two spot in the lineup, making Ohtani the new primary leadoff hitter.

Betts performed well over his final 44 games of the season, slashing .264/.314/.497 with nine home runs and 35 RBI, with his final home run of the regular season a walk-off home run against the Rockies during the team's final homestand.

Over the past two postseasons, Betts notoriously underperformed, heading into the 2024 NLDS against San Diego riding a hitless streak dating back to the 2022 NLDS, also against San Diego.

Betts went hitless with a pair of walks in the Dodgers' Game 1 win this year, but in his first at-bat against Yu Darvish in Game 2, he drilled a fly ball to deep left field that looked to be a home run. Padres left fielder Jurickson Profar made a full extension grab three rows into the left field seats, mocking Dodgers fans while jumping in glee.

With the series headed down to San Diego, Betts' postseason hitless streak extended to 22 at-bats until his first at-bat against starter Michael King in Game 3. Betts drilled a fly ball to left field where Profar, once again, attempted a full-extension robbery. This time, the ball trickled out of his glove into the seats, giving Betts his first postseason hit in two years and his first postseason home run since Game 4 of the 2021 NLDS against the Giants.

With the Dodgers just one game from elimination, Betts ignited the Dodgers offense in Game 4, smashing a solo home run to center field off of Dylan Cease in the first inning in the Dodgers' 8-0 teardown of San Diego.

Betts added two more home runs against the Mets in the NLCS, and although Tommy Edman walked away with NLCS MVP honors, Betts had a series to remember, slashing .346/.452/.731 with two home runs, nine RBI, and four doubles in the six-game series win.

Betts was serviceable for the Dodgers in the World Series, but his power numbers evaporated, and he posted a .681 OPS in the five-game series. Betts intentionally walked in Game 1 to load the bases for Freddie Freeman in the bottom of the tenth inning (we all know how that worked out). In Game 5, he dribbled a ground ball to first baseman Anthony Rizzo, but with Gerrit Cole failing to run over to the bag, Betts reached on an infield single, setting up the Dodgers' fifth-inning five-run comeback. His sacrifice fly in the eighth inning was the deciding run that helped the Dodgers win the 2024 World Series.

Overall, during the postseason, Betts hit .290/.387/.565 with a 152 wRC+ and led or tied for the team in home runs (four), doubles (five), and RBI (16).

Betts was named an All-Star for the eighth time in his career despite missing 46 games, won his seventh Silver Slugger award, and placed 13th in MVP voting. His .289 average ranked 15th among all qualified hitters last season.

During the winter meetings, Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said Mookie Betts would return to the infield for the 2025 season. Betts will serve as the team's primary shortstop, just like how he did during the first half of 2024.

While Betts has shown great defensive abilities in both right field and second base, playing shortstop has been the biggest hurdle in his career. For all shortstops that logged at least 200 innings in 2024, Betts' -4 OAA ranked 48th out of 53 shortstops, and his -4.6 UZR ranked 49th. His arm strength ranks within the 55th percentile, which led to nine errors at the position. As long as the Dodgers have Miguel Rojas on the roster, Betts will have a mentor who will guide him into becoming a better defensive shortstop.

2024 particulars

Age: 31

Stats: .289/.372/.491, 116 G, 19 HR, 75 RBI, 24 2B, 75 R, 141 wRC+, 4.8 rWAR, 4.4 fWAR

Salary: $25 million (Betts received $17 million of his salary in 2025, plus $8 million deferred; he also received $5 million of his $65 million signing bonus from his 12-year contract, for a total of $22 million received this year)

Game of the year

Betts' best game of the season during the final game of the Seoul series against the Padres on March 21. Although the Dodgers lost in a slugfest 15-11, Betts went 4-for-5 with a home run, double, six RBI, and a walk, becoming the first major leaguer in history to hit a home run in a regular-season game in South Korea.

Roster status

Betts will enter the fifth year of his 12-year, $365 million extension, which he signed with the Dodgers in July 2020. He will receive $22 million in 2025, with the same breakdown as in 2024 outlined above.