MESA, Ariz. — Mookie Betts lowered his eyes and paused momentarily while searching for the right arrangement of words, wanting to make sure his point was clear in the Los Angeles Dodgers visiting clubhouse.
“This is not like a vengeance tour,’ Betts told USA TODAY Sports. “It’s about proving a lot of people wrong. But more than anything, it’s about proving myself right.
“So many years, I just didn’t believe in myself.’
Betts is an eight-time All-Star right fielder. A six-time Gold Glove winner. A seven-time Silver Slugger. An MVP winner. He’s a batting champion. Most important to Betts, he’s a three-time World Series champion.
It’s still not enough.
Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.
Betts, 32, wants to show the world that he can also be a star shortstop on a World Series champion.
“I don’t know why he’d want to do that,’ San Diego Padres Gold Glove third baseman Manny Machado said. “I don’t know, man, it’s crazy what he’s trying to do. He’s a Gold Glover. He’s such a good outfielder. Why go play such a demanding postilion? It takes so much of a toll on your body.’
Betts knows all of this. He grew up as a shortstop. He was drafted by the Boston Red Sox as a shortstop. He also didn’t last a full season as a shortstop as a pro with the Red Sox moving him to second base, and eventually right field.
“I think I would have been really good,’ Betts says, “but I never had the opportunity. I couldn’t throw then either. Nobody told me how to throw then. And for myself, I didn’t think I could it either.
“There was no positivity instilled in me.’
Couldn’t he have fought it?
“I’m 18,’ he flatly said. “They’re going to tell you what to do.’
Now 11 years after making his major-league debut, Betts is ready to show that he can be the shortstop he envisioned all along.
“When I was moved to right field, I believed in myself, and got pretty good out there,’ Betts said. “So, I’m taking the same concept. I got the opportunity now.
“And I’m going to make the best of it.’
And this time, unlike his teenage years, he not only believes he can do it, but he’s got the entire organization believing too.
“Mookie is Mookie, he’s the best athlete I’ve ever seen,’ Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy says. “He looks great out there. He’s starting to look more natural.
“Mookie is just different. This kind of challenge is really fun for him. He really enjoys it. And when you look at how he approaches it, having so much fun trying to be as good as he can get, there’s no question in anyone’s mind here that he’s going to be a very good defensive shortstop.’
‘I don’t know of anything he can’t do’
It was a year ago when Betts came into camp as a second baseman, abandoning right field, but three weeks into spring training, shortstop Gavin Lux badly struggled. Betts was moved to shortstop, a position he hadn’t played since 2012 in Class A. Betts played 65 games at shortstop, was erratic defensively with nine errors, suffered a broken wrist and when he returned was back in right field.
He looked uncomfortable at times. He struggled with his footwork. He made the necessary plays, but eight of his errors came on throws. He was improving, but slowly.
This time, he came to camp prepared to be a star shortstop. He spent the winter dedicated to making the transition. He spent three days visiting former Gold Glove shortstop Troy Tulowitzki in Texas where he’s an assistant coach at the University of Texas. He went to Arizona to work on his arm slots and defensive angles with Dodgers coach Chris Woodward. And he took ground balls almost every day at local high schools near his Los Angeles home.
He showed up at camp looking “two levels better’ than a year ago, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
“Let’s put it this way, I don’t know of anything he can’t do,’ said San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts, his former teammate with the Red Sox. “This guy is an athlete, man. He can bowl. He can golf. He can play basketball. He can do it all.
“He would have been a great second baseman for us, but Dustin Pedroia was there. So he went to right field where he was spectacular. I just think he’s always had that itch of coming back to the infield.’
Betts spoke to Andrew Friedman, Dodgers president of baseball operations, Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes and Roberts in the offseason. He insisted he wanted to try it again. The Dodgers encouraged him and with Betts moving back to shortstop, it freed up spots to sign outfielder Michael Conforto and bring back Teoscar Hernandez.
Betts arrived two weeks before most of his teammates to work defensively with Muncy and backup shortstop Miguel Rojas. Never does a day go by where Betts isn’t soliciting advice from Rojas, or Rojas isn’t providing instruction.
The two of them talked for nearly 10 minutes after their spring-training game against the Cubs the other day, talking about footwork, throwing, with Rojas ending the conversation telling Betts to call him any time of the day or night he wants to talk about the position.
“I already think he’s one of the top 10 shortstops in the game because of his bat,’ Rojas said. “Not everything is always going to go great, but you look at him, and he’s so much more comfortable. He’s got experience now. He was able to work on it in the offseason. And he never tired of getting better.
“He wants to be one of the best players in the world, and what he’s doing is just amazing.’’
If Betts pulls this off, he would become only the 22nd player since 1900 to play at least 100 games in right field and shortstop, further elevating his legacy for Cooperstown.
“Mookie wants to be the best player in baseball,’’ Roberts said, “and I don’t see why he wouldn’t want that.
“If you play shortstop, with his bat, that gives him a better chance.’
‘The most selfless superstar’
Betts already has achieved one of the greatest collections of awards and honors in history, but to make the All-Star team as a shortstop, well, it would be historical considering he had gone 12 years without playing the position until last season.
“You can make it mean whatever you want it to mean,’ Betts said, “but I guess it’d be more cool than anything. The All-Star team is a blessing, but I don’t really care about all of those accolades now. When I get older, I can take a step back and look at it, but what I really want is to win five or six rings. That’s why I’m playing.
“So, if that means I’ve got to go to left field one day, I’ll go to left. If I need to go to second, I’ll go to second. I’m 32 years old. I believe in myself wherever I go.’’
If the Dodgers change gears, and decide they’d be better off having Betts playing second base or right field, Betts won’t complain.
“The beauty of Mookie,’ Friedman said, “is that he’s the most selfless superstar we’ve ever been around.’
If Betts has his druthers, he not only will be playing shortstop now, but for the duration of his career. Derek Jeter was still playing shortstop at the age of 40, so why not Betts? He spent the entire winter preparing his body for the demands of shortstop, not just for 2025, but well beyond.
“Hell yeah,’ Betts says. “I believe that I’m only going to get better and better. I believe in myself.’
And now, 14 years after being drafted as a shortstop out of Overton High School in Nashville, so does everyone else.
“I just feel so prepared now,’’ Betts says. “I can go home and sleep and not stare at video all day trying to figure things out. I’m giving it my all so I can lay my head down at night knowing that my work prepared me for any balls coming my way.
“I know I can do this. I really do.
“I’m excited to prove people wrong.’
Once again.
Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.