Mookie Betts has been MIA at the plate for much of this postseason, and now an interesting theory is emerging on why that might be the case.
An anonymous MLB rival has suggested that the playoff struggles of the Los Angeles Dodgers star Betts may be attributed to his transition to playing shortstop full-time this season. Jon Heyman of the New York Post shared the thoughts of the rival, who believes that Betts’ transition to short made him lose his legs.
Indeed, Betts started playing shortstop for the Dodgers intermittently over the past two seasons before becoming their everyday man at the position in 2025. Betts, who appeared in 148 total games at shortstop during the regular season, has made a very successful transition defensively and was even named a Gold Glove finalist at the position earlier this month.
But it is, in fact, fair to wonder if the switch has cost Betts some production at the plate. After batting .289 with a .987 OPS last season, Betts managed to hit just .258 with a .732 OPS this season. Betts’ playoff splits are even more drastic as he hit .290 with a .951 OPS last postseason but is at .234 with a .648 OPS this postseason (including a 3-for-23 mark (.130) during the ongoing World Series).
Betts was a six-time Gold Glover in right field earlier in his career and managed to hit at a high level while doing so as well (posting a .290 batting average of better in four of those Gold Glove seasons). Meanwhile, shortstop is a much more taxing defensive position than a corner outfield spot given the range that is required.
For the Dodgers, Teoscar Hernandez, who took over for Betts as the everyday right fielder this season, has been making all kinds of mistakes in the field (including during the most recent World Series game). Thus, Los Angeles may have to seriously consider moving Betts back to right field next season, regardless of what happens during this year’s World Series.
