Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has a surprising MVP pick for Cactus League play thus far.
While the Dodgers have some of baseball’s biggest stars in Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman, Roberts picked infielder David Bote as the team’s standout star this spring.
Through nine Cactus League games, Bote has gone 10-for-22 at the plate with two doubles, two home runs, and nine RBIs. He started off the spring red hot as he was 8-for-12 with one home run, two doubles, and six runs batted in. His slash line was an unbelievable .667/.692/1.083 across five games.
“He’s been great. I think if we had a camp MVP so far, it would be him,” Roberts said.
“Righties, lefties, moving around the diamond, I like his energy, he comes to play every day, takes good at-bats. We’ve seen him from the other side over the years, but just seeing him every day, he’s really impressing.”
Bote making the Opening Day roster is quite the challenging feat given how much talent still remains at Camelback Ranch. Additionally, Bote would have to switch from his longtime position, first base.
Freddie Freeman is the obviously the Dodgers’ starting first baseman, but Bote has seen time at second base this spring.
Second base and center field are two positions the Dodgers have not confirmed with less than two weeks until Opening Day. When the Dodgers signed infielder Hyeseong Kim, it appeared the defending champions had found their second baseman.
However, things took a turn in camp as Kim’s struggles at the plate became increasingly clear.
“I would say, if there’s one part of it, the question mark, I would say it is the bat,” Roberts said. “The competition is different over there than here. … Obviously he’s going through some swing changes that he believes will help him also make this transition easier and sustainable.
“He bet on himself to come here and to compete, and so right now he’s in a competition to earn a job with us. I would say that that’s still all in play, and we don’t need to make a decision right now, obviously, but I would say that if there’s one thing that … still is in question is the bat. And I think that’s a fair thought on our part.”
As of now, it appears Kim could begin the season in the minors, which seemingly opens a spot for another player. Whether said player is Bote, though, remains to be seen.
Bote isn’t the only player competing for a spot on the Dodgers roster. Andy Pages, Eddie Rosario, and James Outman are also vying for a roster spot this spring.
Nevertheless, Bote has certainly caught the attention of Roberts at camp.
