Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — The disappointment in San Diego cannot erase the truth about the 2022 season: Mookie Betts had a very good year, especially in the field, where he is the odds-on favorite to win yet another Gold Glove at the position. And on Thursday, more recognition of the Betts’s defensive prowess was announced. For the fifth time since its inception, the Fielding Bible Award has gone to the Dodgers’ right fielder.
This year’s Fielding Bible Awards were determined by a 15-person expert voting panel. The panel awards 10 winners each year, one at each position (no separation of NL and AL) plus an additional award that goes to the best defensive multi-position player.
For this year’s award, Betts squeaked out a victory over the Astros* right fielder Kyle Tucker, edging him by just 11 points in one of the year’s tightest races. Betts only made two errors in the field in 2022, and had eight outfield assists. That translates into a .994 fielding percentage over 136 games. His Defensive Runs Saved rating of 15 was good for second in the NL, trailing only the Reds’ cannon-armed Aristides Aquino in that category.
A Fielding Bible Award recognizes the best defensive player for each fielding position in Major League Baseball (MLB) based on statistical analysis. Fielding Bible author John Dewan and Baseball Info Solutions conduct the annual selection process, which commenced in 2006.
Mookie won his fifth Fielding Bible Award, which puts him just one shy of Andrelton Simmons and Yadier Molina for most overall. A Dodgers player has won three of the last four Fielding Bible Awards in right field, with Betts winning two of those and Cody Bellinger winning one.
This is why talk of moving Mookie to second is silly, regardless of how much “fun” it would be for him to play there. He’s simply to valuable in right to move to anywhere else.
