Cody Snavely
In a recent interview with Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated, Dave Roberts explained that they would expect to play Gold Glove right fielder Mookie Betts at 2nd base due to Gavin Lux‘s season-long injury for perhaps 40-50 games this season.
Mookie Betts, who, when drafted by the Red Sox in 2011, was a natural 2nd baseman and played that for most of his minor league career. However, the young prospect was blocked from that position as Red Sox icon Dustin Pedroia currently was the club’s full-time 2nd basemen. So the Red Sox moved Betts to RF, where there was an opening, and the rest is history. Since the move to RF, Betts has won six gold gloves (2016-2020, 2022) and is a two-time Wilson Defensive Player of the Year winner (2016,2018). Betts has statistically been one of the best defensive outfielders in all of baseball, posting a career of 143 Rdrs (Defensive runs saved above average).
Mookie has played a few games at 2nd base in his Dodgers career so far, but that was due to injuries and Dave Roberts trying to pencil in Betts without having him tire out in the outfield in the dog days of Summer. However, 40-50 games are a huge jump compared to years past.
The idea of Betts playing 2nd base is nothing new, and at the height of the off-season, with Aaron Judge still in play for the Dodgers, many around baseball said the Dodgers could sign Judge and move Betts to 2nd, which would allow Judge to play RF. However, even then, I saw this as a dumb idea; as mentioned above, Betts is clearly the best defensive RF in baseball, and moving him away from that position would hurt the Dodgers.
Why it makes sense:
Gavin Lux tearing his ACL put the Dodgers’ depth to the test. With Miguel Rojas likely being the full-time shortstop now, Muncy is staying put at 3rd, Freeman at 1st, and the logical playing spot for Miguel Vargas is 2nd; that seems like a full infield. However, injuries happen, and players like Vargas have minimal Major League experience. So, if he underperforms, it is only logical to increase the number of games for Betts at 2nd so he can stay in the line-up.
Injuries, as mentioned, are bound to happen, and Mookie Betts is no stranger to his fair share of injuries in the last two seasons. In 2021 Betts was dealing with an injured hip most of the season, and it affected his play both defensively and offensively. Roberts plugged Betts at 2nd to help manage his workload while keeping him in the line-up as the division race with the Giants was extremely close. While Betts is fully healthy right now, it could be an excellent way to keep him healthy without playing all potential 150-162 games in RF.
Why it doesn’t make sense:
Speaking of injuries, do you know where a lot of injuries happen? That’s right. In the middle of the diamond. When it comes to double plays and playing with runners on, anything can happen. While the percentage of collisions has gone down since 2016 with the “Utley rule” in full effect, they can still occur, and if they do, it can be very devastating to the team, especially if that player was Betts, who is the key to the whole offense.
Also, Betts, as mentioned numerous times in this article, is a Gold Glove RF, and replacing that production in the outfield isn’t as easy as it sounds. The most logical option would be James Outman, who scouts have labeled as an elite CF, but there is still a chance he doesn’t even make the 26-man roster. Heyward is 33 and has been on a decline for years, and Peralta is also in the same boat at 35.
Conclusion:
Overall I believe it is unnecessary to move Betts to 2nd base for that many games as it disrupts the current outfield alignment and takes away the elite-level defense that Mookie Betts produces yearly. While Betts can certainly transition back to 2nd later in his career, now is not the time.
