A few weeks ago, I was browsing on Facebook. I saw an interesting post. It showed the photos of some players that used to play for the Red Sox and the Dodgers. Of course, the Red Sox and the Dodgers are two franchises with rich histories. And there are several well-known players who used to play for these 2 teams.
A photo truly drew my attention. That is a photo of Mookie Betts. In a blockbuster trade in February 2020, Mookie Betts was traded to the Dodgers. It’s his 5th season with the Dodgers. While seeing that photo, I was just thinking about Mookie’s first 5 seasons with the Dodgers. Does he perform even better than he did with the Red Sox?
Firstly, let’s look at some stats. Mookie Betts made his MLB debut in 2014. In his first 5 seasons with the Red Sox, he played 644 games, slashing .303/.370/.518 with 110 home runs and 390 RBI. During those 5 seasons, there were 3 times that he played at least 140 games in a single season. And there were 2 times that he smashed at least 30 home runs in a single season. Moreover, there were 2 seasons in which he collected at least 100 RBI. Furthermore, Mookie Betts had 110 steals from 2014 to 2018. There were 4 times that he had at least 20 stolen bases in a single season.
So far, Mookie Betts has played 545 games for the Dodgers, slashing .286/.377/.534 with 124 home runs and 329 RBI. Over the last 2 years, he played more than 140 games each season and blasted 30+ home runs each season. Nonetheless, he doesn’t run as much as he used to do while he was playing for the Red Sox. After joining the Dodgers, Mookie Betts has never finished a season with at least 20 steals. Nevertheless, Mookie Betts now has an OPS over .900 in the Dodgers uniform.
In addition, let’s take a look at the awards and honors. From 2014 to 2018, Betts was selected to the All-Star game 3 times. Moreover, he won 3 AL Gold Glove awards and got 2 AL Silver Slugger awards. Most importantly, he was the 2018 AL MVP. Back then, he hit .346/.438/.640 with 32 home runs and 80 RBI over 136 games. And the Red Sox won the World Series title.
In the Dodgers uniform, Mookie Betts has been selected to the All-Star game for 4 consecutive seasons. Well, we have to remember that there wasn’t an All-Star game in 2020. Nonetheless, he and the Dodgers lifted the Commissioner’s Trophy after winning the last game in 2020. Furthermore, he won the 3 NL Silver Slugger awards. And he won the NL Gold Glove awards in 2020 and 2022.
Looking at Mookie Betts’ performance, without doubt, he’s an elite player. In the first 5 seasons with the Red Sox, he blasted 100+ home runs and collected 300+ RBI. So far in his career with the Dodgers, he already smashed 100+ home runs and had 300+ RBI. From 2014 to 2018, Mookie’s batting average was over .300, which is higher than his BA of .286 in the Dodgers uniform. Nevertheless, his OPS is over .900 in the Dodgers uniform. Additionally, he contributed to each team to win the Fall Classic. However, he hasn’t won an MVP award in the Dodgers jersey. And that could be an interesting thing to see if he will win an MVP award as a Dodger.
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