GLENDALE, Ariz. — Mookie Betts retains upping the ante. He talked final season about wanting to become a Hall of Famer. His newest aim: To turn into, in his phrases, “a legend within the sport.”
Betts, 31, made that declaration in an interview I carried out with him Tuesday for Fox Sports activities. I requested him, after profitable two World Sequence and an MVP award, what retains him going at this stage of his profession. What motivates him. What fuels him.
“My household, clearly,” stated Betts, who’s married with two youngsters. “However then only a drive inside myself simply to be nice. I wish to be nice. After I’m achieved, I would like you to recollect not essentially simply the baseball participant, however Mookie. I wish to be a legend within the sport.
“How I create that, I don’t know. I’m simply sort of going about it and bringing smiles to individuals’s faces once I can, attempting to signal some autographs once I can, be one of the best participant I could be once I’m taking part in, be one of the best teammate I could be.
“No matter comes my approach, I’m simply going to attempt to be one of the best at it it doesn’t matter what. If it’s sitting on the bench, I wish to be one of the best cheerleader. No matter it’s. I feel if I can do this, I really feel like that may create some sort of legacy that I can go away. You received’t bear in mind all of the on-field stuff, however I would like individuals to recollect who Mookie was off the sphere for positive.”
Main leaguers hardly ever communicate this manner. Till not too long ago, the game’s tradition discouraged individualism of any variety. Freedom of expression is changing into extra accepted, as evidenced by the league’s “Let the Youngsters Play” promotional marketing campaign in 2019. However even now, few gamers overtly focus on particular person targets, preferring to focus solely on the workforce.
Betts, to make sure, is intent on his Los Angeles Dodgers profitable the World Sequence, one thing they did within the shortened 2020 season, however haven’t achieved in a full season since 1988. Coming off the workforce’s $1 billion offseason, which included the additions of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, he spoke of a “sense of urgency” this spring.
“We’ve been to the playoffs so many instances and haven’t come by way of,” Betts stated, referring to the workforce’s 11 straight playoff appearances. “We’ve gotten one, however one for 9 or ten is just not superb in our sport, actually on the whole.”
Betts fields floor balls at Camelback Ranch earlier this month. (Rick Scuteri / USA At present)
To turn into a “legend within the sport,” at the very least from the angle of Dodgers followers, Betts is aware of he should carry out higher in October. He was good within the 2020 postseason, however went a mixed 2-for-25 because the Dodgers had been knocked out previously two Division Sequence, first by the San Diego Padres, then by the Arizona Diamondbacks, each instances after profitable 100 or extra regular-season video games.
But, when Betts talked about his aim of changing into a legend, he was not essentially speaking about on-field efficiency. I requested him when he realized it was doable for him to realize such standing, and that it was one thing he even wished. His reply was telling.
“My mates actually keep on me,” Betts stated. “They inform me to embrace who you might be. Embrace whenever you stroll into someplace and somebody desires to come back take an image or somebody will get nervous. I used to sort of shrink back from it. Now once I see anyone that’s sort of shy, I’m going and speak to them. I’m going and humanize myself.
“I’m a standard individual identical to everybody else, however there are some issues that I do some in a different way, and there are some lives that I have an effect on a little bit in a different way, and I feel I ought to embrace that. I’m attempting. I’m doing my finest. It’s bizarre for me, and it’s bizarre even saying one thing like that. But it surely actually stems from my mates. They’ve been with me since I used to be within the fifth grade, so that they’ve seen the place I used to be then. We had no concept any of this was going to occur.”
“This” consists of his exceptional 2018 season with the Boston Pink Sox, when he received the American League batting title with a .346 batting common, helped the Pink Sox win the World Sequence and was voted AL MVP. It additionally consists of seven All-Star appearances and 6 Gold Gloves, to not point out a $365 million contract, the third largest assure in major-league historical past.
Betts’ recognition, nonetheless, stems not solely from his immense all-around abilities, but additionally from followers referring to a participant who’s listed at solely 5-foot-9, 180 kilos. Betts is much from a behemoth. He additionally shows, at instances, an endearing, virtually childlike pleasure for the sport.
The Dodgers plan to make use of Betts principally at second base this season — he joked to reporters not too long ago that he left his right-field glove and cleats in Los Angeles. Final season, he moved deftly between proper, second and shortstop, demonstrating uncommon versatility, notably for a famous person.
“It simply felt like I used to be capable of be a child once more,” stated Betts, a local of Nashville, Tenn. “Rising up, I by no means performed one place. I used to be virtually just like the utility man. I had 4 uniforms, and whoever referred to as and wanted a proper fielder or a shortstop or a second baseman or a 3rd baseman or a primary baseman, that’s sort of the place we went. It’s virtually bizarre taking part in only one place, particularly within the outfield.”
Wait, Betts performed for 4 totally different youth groups directly?
“Wherever they wanted,” he continued, smiling. “Generally I’d go simply pitch, and generally I’d go play left. It didn’t matter. My dad, I recognize that from him as a result of I feel that actually taught me be a baseball participant as a substitute of simply taking part in one place the entire time.”
For Betts, it was the beginning of one thing large, a major-league profession that’s about to enter its eleventh season. The Corridor of Fame appears effectively inside his attain, and nonetheless he desires extra. To win one other World Sequence. To be admired on and off the sphere. To turn into — sure, he stated it — a legend within the sport.
(High picture of Mookie Betts: Masterpress / Getty Photographs)
