Black MLB Players You Need To Know About #24: Mookie Betts
Introduction
My original intent for writing the “Black MLB/MiLB Players” series was to introduce up-and-coming Black baseball players to casual fans of the game and people that don’t pay attention to baseball. I decided to focus on a superstar for the first entry for Unculture in a not-so-subtle attempt to grab the attention of readers with a familiar name, and in my opinion Mookie Betts is the epitome of a superstar. He is constantly making dazzling plays with the bat, on the basepaths, and with his glove. Betts is one of the most accomplished active players in Major League Baseball and his résumé emphasizes his status as the best all-around player in the sport. This article exists to celebrate Betts’ contributions to the 100+ years of history that Black people across the African diaspora have with the sport of baseball.
Background + Path to Professional Baseball
Mookie Betts is a 28-year-old right fielder from Nashville, Tennessee who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Betts had an illustrious high school baseball career at Overton High School in Nashville and was also a standout basketball player and bowler. He garnered the attention of two local Division I baseball programs in Vanderbilt and the University of Tennessee by his senior year of high school. He decided to commit to Tennessee since he had a greater chance to be a starter at the rebuilding program since Vanderbilt is a college baseball powerhouse that always has a large cache of talent.
Betts caught the eye of a Boston Red Sox area scout Danny Watkins at an Overton game during his junior year of high school, after making a great defensive play up the middle as a shortstop. Watkins kept a close track of Betts, and after building a relationship with Betts and his family, Watkins suggested that the Red Sox draft Betts in the 2011 MLB Draft. Betts was not rated highly by many reputed scouting websites and individuals coming out of high school due to his small stature and lack of power. He was labeled a low-ceiling prospect who could make an impact on a college baseball team due to his intangibles and makeup, but was not seen by many as an individual who could succeed in professional baseball.
Betts was drafted in the 5th round (172nd overall) of the 2011 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox as a middle infielder and forewent his commitment to the University of Tennessee to play professional baseball straight out of high school, signing with the Red Sox for $750,000 dollars. The slot the Red Sox used to draft Betts had a recommended signing bonus of $100,000 dollars and the Red Sox going way over the recommended amount was a sign that they thought highly of him.
Minor League Baseball
Betts only played in one official minor league game in 2011 due to post-draft contract negotiations that took up much of the 2011 season. In 2012 Betts was assigned to Short-Season A-Ball (A-), where he did not put up statistically eye-popping numbers, but showed some of the abilities that would become signature tools in his profile later down the road. In 71 games, Betts put up 32 walks against 30 strikeouts and also stole 20 bases on an 83% success rate, only getting caught 4 times. Betts put up a .267/.352/.307 slash line in his first professional season while splitting time between second base and shortstop as a defender.
Betts put up a 163 wRC+ between Single-A(A) and High-A(A+) on a .314/.417/.506 slash line between the two levels for the 2013 Minor League season. Betts walked more than he struck out at both levels and stole 38 bases in 42 attempts. After his performance during the 2013 season, Betts was inserted into many lists as one of the Boston Red Sox’s best minor league prospects. He was also included on Baseball America and MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects lists. In 2014. Betts played 99 games between the two highest levels of Minor League Baseball and continued to excel. At Double-A (AA) he put up a 177 wRC+ and at Triple-A (AAA) he put up a 158 wRC+. Betts once again stole more than 30 bases between the two levels and walked more than he struck out. In 99 games between Double-A and Triple-A Betts had a .346/.431/.529 slash line.
Major League Baseball
Mookie Betts made his debut in Major League Baseball on June 29th, 2014 versus the New York Yankees, going 1/3 with a single and a walk. Betts played in 52 games during the 2014 MLB season, splitting time between center field, rightfield, and second base. Betts put up a 129 wRC+, provided value on the basepaths with a 2.5 BsR, and put up 1.8 fWAR in his debut season.
Since his first full season in 2015, Mookie Betts has been one of the most productive players in all of professional baseball, ranking second among position players in fWAR behind only Mike Trout. Betts has the best all-around skillset of any position player in baseball, as he has been amongst the top of the rankings for every measurable facet of the game since he became a full-time player. Since Betts’ first full season in 2015, he has been voted to the MLB All-Star game four times. During that same time span, he has also accumulated four Silver Sluggers, five Gold Gloves, the 2018 MLB batting title, the 2018 American League MVP Award, and World Series championships with two different franchises.
After the 2019 season, Betts was traded by the Boston Red Sox to the Los Angeles Dodgers after the Red Sox were not able to agree with Betts on a long-term contract. The trade was controversial because it was basically a salary dump where ownership refused to pay Betts what he was worth in order to keep one of the best homegrown stars in the franchise’s history. After being traded to the Dodgers, Betts agreed to a 12 year, 365 million dollar extension before leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to the 2020 World Series, winning it during the shortened 2020 season.
Player Profile
Physical Build
Mookie Betts is 5'9'’, and weighs 180 pounds. He has a slight build, although he has wiry strength and is extremely athletic and explosive. If Betts was above six feet tall he easily could have played professional basketball or football due to his otherworldly physical abilities.
Hitting
Mookie Betts hits right-handed. He is one of the best hitters in baseball, and his ability at the plate is highlighted by his elite contact skills. Betts’s career strikeout rate is 13%, his career walk rate is 10%, and his career walk-to-strike ratio is 0.79. When ranked amongst active players that have played since 2015, Betts is top ten in swinging strike percentage and zone contact percentage. He has ranked in the top fifteen for outside swing percentage and contact percentage. I used the Fangraphs leaderboard to figure out where Betts ranked amongst his peers since becoming a full-time player in 2015 in certain statistics that are centered around the ability to put the bat on the ball.
Betts has made numerous adjustments to his swing and approach at the plate to become a more effective hitter. The changes in his approach at the plate were centered around an increase in pulling the ball to left field and up the middle and a decrease in going the opposite way. Betts’ emphasis on pulling the ball allowed him to make hard contact at a higher rate. Betts combined this emphasis on pulling the ball with a change in launch angle that increased the rate at which he hit flyballs at the expense of hitting the ball on the ground to accrue more extra-base hits. The fact that this change in hitting philosophy and approach has not affected his top-tier ability to make contact is a testament to his ability to put the bat on the ball. Betts’ Isolated Power(ISO) numbers in the majors have increased since his debut season, which correlates with the adjustments he has made so far in his career. These swing and approach adjustments have given Betts an elite combination of contact and power to go along with his other tools to make him the best all-around position player in the sport.
Baserunning
Mookie Betts has been one of the most productive baserunners in Major League Baseball since his debut in 2014. Since 2014 he ranks 9th amongst all active major leaguers in total stolen bases with 136 and is 4th amongst active players in stolen base percentage. He is second among all active major leaguers in BsR during that same time period with 46.2, trailing only Billy Hamilton. BsR is the best stat for measuring the effectiveness of an individual’s baserunning because it takes a lot more information, beyond total stolen bases and times caught stealing, into account to determine how good a baserunner is. Betts’ effectiveness on the basepaths is a credit to his athleticism, instincts, and baseball IQ. He ranks 20% above-average for Sprint Speed for his career, which is measured via Statcast. Sprint Speed leaderboards can be found on Baseball Savant.
Fielding
Mookie Betts originally was a second baseman and shortstop in the minor leagues but he was moved to the outfield after second baseman Dustin Pedroia signed a long-term contract to stay in Boston. Since Betts transitioned to being a rightfielder, he has established himself as one of the best defensive outfielders of his generation, supported by the five Gold Gloves he has accumulated so far in his career. Betts is at the top of leaderboards for a myriad of metrics used to measure the defensive prowess of outfielders. Betts is first amongst all active outfielders in Ultimate Zone Rating(UZR) and is second among all active outfielders in Defensive Runs Saved(DSR). Based on the Outs Above Average(OAA) leaderboard for outfielders, Mookie Betts is seventh amongst all active outfielders since 2016, which is when the metric became available. Betts also has a superb throwing arm, as he is 7th amongst all active outfielders in rARM.
Conclusion
Mookie Betts is the perfect example of a five-tool player and the eye test and advanced metrics are both in support of this fact. In addition to his generational skillset, Betts is one of the most accomplished players in the game currently. His 2018 season is one of the greatest seasons by a position player in Major League Baseball’s history. In 2018 Betts put up 10 fWAR and became the first player in MLB history to win a batting title, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, MVP award, and a World Series in the same year. His 2018 season encapsulates his ability to excel at every facet of the game on a nightly basis. Mookie Betts is currently on track to make it into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot, and rightfully so. He has been one of the best players in almost every league he has played in as a professional, which is a testament to how great he is.
