Mookie Betts Says Playing Shortstop Keeps Him ‘Young’ at 33. The Dodgers Are Reaping the Rewards.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have this thing where they take future Hall of Famers and just slide them into new positions like it’s nothing. Mookie Betts is the latest example. He spent his whole career as one of the best outfielders in baseball — six Gold Gloves, multiple World Series rings — and two years ago the Dodgers asked him to play shortstop. Every day. In the big leagues.

He said yes.

Betts sat down with MLB Network’s Harold Reynolds this week and admitted the transition wasn’t smooth at first. It was actually pretty rough.

“It was certainly tough in the beginning,” Betts said. “But I feel pretty good and I feel like I know what I am doing. That doesn’t mean it’s going to go well, but at least I know what to do over there.”

The honesty is refreshing because the Dodgers are 61-36 at the All-Star break, which is the best record in baseball. They lead the National League West by 11.5 games over the Diamondbacks. Nobody is panicking.

The Outfield Misses Him. He Misses It Too.

Betts is 33 years old now and he’s been doing this for 13 seasons. He won MVP with the 2018 Red Sox. He’s been an All-Star eight times. He’s got seven Silver Sluggers and those six Gold Gloves. He knows what it feels like to track down a fly ball in the gap and make it look easy.

“Sometimes I miss the outfield,” Betts admitted. But then he explained why the move to shortstop makes sense for a guy who wants to stay relevant and stay sharp.

“Moving to shortstop has kept me in the game. You’re involved in almost every play and that keeps you young.”

That’s an interesting way to put it. Most guys his age are moving to first base or DH. Betts is moving to the most demanding position on the infield. And he’s the Dodgers’ everyday shortstop.

Dynasty Math

The Dodgers have won the World Series twice in a row and are chasing a third straight title. That’s extremely hard to do. No team has done it since the Yankees won three in a row from 1998 to 2000. Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman are the core that makes it possible.

Betts downplayed the weight of expectations when Reynolds asked about the pressure.

“There’s a lot of talent,” he said. “We go out and we just play.”

It sounds simple. It’s not. But for a guy who moved from right field to shortstop at 31 years old and made it work, maybe the simple approach is exactly what the Dodgers need.