{"id":55852,"date":"2025-06-14T07:34:15","date_gmt":"2025-06-14T07:34:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=55852"},"modified":"2025-06-14T07:34:15","modified_gmt":"2025-06-14T07:34:15","slug":"dodgers-mookie-betts-makes-shocking-admission-about-early-season-struggles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=55852","title":{"rendered":"Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Makes Shocking Admission About Early Season Struggles"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"May<\/picture><\/figure>\n
May 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe (14) points against Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) during the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images \/ Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts’ early season slump left the former American League Most Valuable Player wondering if he could still do what he used to be able to.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, definitely there\u2019s doubt,\u201d Betts said to The Orange County Register. \u201cThe game is moving. The game is moving and if you don\u2019t keep moving with it you\u2019ll get left behind. Look, man \u2013 I\u2019ve never been the fastest on the field, I\u2019ve never been the biggest on the field, I\u2019ve never been the strongest on the field. I am literally average across the board in all facets of the game. I have to rely on a lot of things in my process to be perfect. That\u2019s just the way it is.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have a superpower to fall back on. I\u2019m not those guys. I don\u2019t have those things to fall back on. So it really has to be right, my process has to be right. You might say, \u2018Oh, your hand-eye coordination.\u2019 Everybody\u2019s hand-eye coordination here is good \u2013 elite at this level. That doesn\u2019t set you apart. It\u2019s got to be something. So I feel like mine is my process and my hard work. That\u2019s really the only thing I can control. I can\u2019t make myself bigger or stronger or all those other things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Betts’ start to the season is average for his standards, even going so far as to call his .742 OPS through May\u00a0“garbage.”\u00a0His tone changed after he suffered a fractured toe and missed four games, however.<\/p>\n

The eight-time All-Star is 13-for-37 in June, and has a .901 OPS since his return. He’s pulled his OPS up to .766 this season, and has raised his batting average to .269 from .257, which would have been a career-low.<\/p>\n

The former outfielder’s numbers, despite being lower than he expects from himself, still trump most of MLB’s efforts, as his OPS+ sits well above league average at 119.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI definitely feel like I\u2019m in a better spot,\u201d Betts said. \u201cIt\u2019s just continuing to stack positive days. When you do go 0 for 4 or whatever or hit a little rut, it\u2019s important that I believe in my process and keep stacking good days.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

May 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe (14) points against Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) during the sixth inning… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":55856,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\nDodgers' Mookie Betts Makes Shocking Admission About Early Season Struggles - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=55852\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dodgers' Mookie Betts Makes Shocking Admission About Early Season Struggles - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"May 17, 2025; 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