GLENDALE, Ariz. — Mookie Betts retains upping the ante. He talked final season about eager to turn out to be a Corridor of Famer. His newest objective: To turn out to be, in his phrases, “a legend within the recreation.”
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 Collection and an MVP award, what retains him going at this stage of his profession. What motivates him. What fuels him.
“My household, clearly,” mentioned Betts, who’s married with two youngsters. “However then only a drive inside myself simply to be nice. I need to be nice. After I’m accomplished, I would like you to recollect not essentially simply the baseball participant, however Mookie. I need to be a legend within the recreation.
“How I create that, I do not know. I’m simply sort of going about it and bringing smiles to folks’s faces once I can, attempting to signal some autographs once I can, be the most effective participant I may be once I’m taking part in, be the most effective teammate I may be.
“No matter comes my approach, I’m simply going to attempt to be the most effective at it it doesn’t matter what. If it’s sitting on the bench, I need to be the most effective cheerleader. No matter it’s. I believe if I can do this, I really feel like that can create some kind of legacy that I can go away. You received’t bear in mind all of the on-field stuff, however I would like folks to recollect who Mookie was off the sphere for positive.”
Main leaguers not often communicate this fashion. Till just lately, the game’s tradition discouraged individualism of any form. Freedom of expression is turning into extra accepted, as evidenced by the league’s “Let the Youngsters Play” promotional marketing campaign in 2019. However even now, few gamers brazenly focus on particular person targets, preferring to focus solely on the group.
Betts, to make certain, is intent on his Los Angeles Dodgers profitable the World Collection, one thing they did within the shortened 2020 season, however haven’t completed in a full season since 1988. Coming off the group’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 via,” Betts mentioned, referring to the group’s 11 straight playoff appearances. “We’ve gotten one, however one for 9 or ten shouldn’t be superb in our sport, actually usually.”
Betts fields floor balls at Camelback Ranch earlier this month. (Rick Scuteri / USA At present)
To turn out to be a “legend within the recreation,” no less than 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 Collection, 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 objective of turning into a legend, he was not essentially speaking about on-field efficiency. I requested him when he realized it was attainable for him to attain such standing, and that it was one thing he even needed. His reply was telling.
“My buddies actually keep on me,” Betts mentioned. “They inform me to embrace who you might be. Embrace while you stroll into someplace and somebody needs to return take an image or somebody will get nervous. I used to sort of draw 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 particular person similar to everybody else, however there are some issues that I perform a little in another way, and there are some lives that I have an effect on slightly in another way, and I believe I ought to embrace that. I’m attempting. I’m doing my greatest. It’s bizarre for me, and it’s bizarre even saying one thing like that. But it surely actually stems from my buddies. They’ve been with me since I used to be within the fifth grade, in order that they’ve seen the place I used to be then. We had no thought any of this was going to occur.”
“This” contains his outstanding 2018 season with the Boston Crimson Sox, when he received the American League batting title with a .346 batting common, helped the Crimson Sox win the World Collection and was voted AL MVP. It additionally contains 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’ reputation, nevertheless, 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 way from a behemoth. He additionally shows, at instances, an endearing, nearly childlike pleasure for the sport.
The Dodgers plan to make use of Betts largely at second base this season — he joked to reporters just lately 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, significantly for a famous person.
“It simply felt like I used to be in a position to be a child once more,” mentioned Betts, a local of Nashville, Tenn. “Rising up, I by no means performed one place. I used to be nearly 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 nearly 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 respect that from him as a result of I believe that basically taught me how one can 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 needs extra. To win one other World Collection. To be admired on and off the sphere. To turn out to be — sure, he mentioned it — a legend within the recreation.
(Prime picture of Mookie Betts: Masterpress / Getty Photographs)
+ There are no comments
Add yours