MLB Network analyst Mark DeRosa called Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts one of the greatest defensive players of all time when discussing his fantastic season in the infield.
Betts played primarily in right field for the first nine seasons of his MLB career, winning six Gold Gloves along the way. Over the past three years with the Dodgers, he has begun a shift to shortstop, playing all but one innings there during the 2025 regular season.
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Despite the drastic difference in positions, Betts has established himself as a shortstop and has become one of the league’s best fielders at that position. He led the MLB with 17 defensive runs saved this season, and recorded a fielding run value of plus-3, which ranks in the 74th percentile of the MLB.
He also posted six outs above average, which is 11 better than the minus-5 he posted at shortstop in 2024.
“I think if you put it all together, you can make a case that he’s one of the greatest defenders of all time,” DeRosa said. “The ability to move, and not just the ability to move. I know he started as a second baseman, but to move to the outfield, to be a Gold Glove right fielder like he was for years, and then to come to shortstop, to come back in.”
“…To come to shortstop and play the defense that he has played – I wanted to give him love for it.”
Betts played 531.1 innings at shortstop in 2024 and posted a .963 fielding percentage during his time in the left side of the infield. He more than doubled his innings in 2025, reaching 1,278 innings and posting a superior fielding percentage of .985 this season.
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MLB named Betts a finalist for the NL shortstop Gold Glove this season, and he will compete with Nick Allen and Mason Winn, both of whom are established defensive shortstops.
Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn images
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