MLB Insider Warns Against Dodgers Star Changing Positions
Is Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts about to change positions … again?
Betts has always been down to show off his defensive versatility for the betterment of the team, but according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers should keep Betts at shortstop, despite new buzz suggesting that Betts might be moved back to the outfield.
“They should not move Mookie to right field, in my opinion, and I’ll tell you why,” Rosenthal said during a new episode of the “Foul Territory” program on Tuesday.
“Mookie is playing, right now, a brilliant shortstop. Really, if you watch him play, he has adapted to that position as well as anyone possibly could. He has shown that he can play it and play it at a high level.”
Rosenthal did acknowledge that the Dodgers have questions to answer elsewhere defensively, particularly concerning Teoscar Hernández.
“Now, the outfield situation with Hernandez is this,” Rosenthal said.
“If you play him in right, you’re gonna have guys going first to third. If you play him in left, you’re gonna have guys stretching singles into doubles. That’s kind of a lesser of two evils type of thing. He was not a particularly good defender last season in left during the regular season, but in the postseason (he) was much better.”
“I would expect that they’re going to keep him in right because he does prefer right,” Rosenthal continued. “He believes he sees the ball better off the bat in right.”
And what about the rest of the Dodgers’ outfield?
“Now, there is some school of thought where their best defensive outfield might be Pages in right, Edman in center, Teo in left, but I don’t know that they see it that way. … and sure, Michael Conforto … because of all these guys returning, his spot’s going to be in jeopardy. There’s no doubt about that.”
The Dodgers entered Tuesday with a slim, one-game lead over the San Diego Padres in the National League West division.