Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts has won the 2025 Fielding Bible Award at the shortstop position.
The awards are voted on by a panel of experts who use “statistical analysis, the eye test and other factors they choose to use” to determine the best defensive player at each position.
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Betts is a National League Gold Glove Award finalist at the shortstop position. The Fielding Bible Award chooses one player for each position across the entire MLB. That player was Betts.
This is Betts’ seventh career Fielding Bible Award, and the first at shortstop. He won five Fielding Bible Awards as a right fielder and one in 2023 as the winner of the “multi-position” award.
Betts made the unprecedented move to shortstop this season and led the MLB with 17 defensive runs saved. He had six outs above average, which put him in the 92nd percentile, per Baseball savant.
After being named a Gold Glove finalist, Betts was asked about the feeling of validation following his transition.
“I really don’t care,” Betts said. “That’s an affirmation for all of you, not for me. I knew I could do it. I believed in myself. I always believed in myself. But I really don’t care (about the price).”
His manager Dave Roberts took the opportunity to praise the outfielder-turned-shortstop.
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“I think the only person on this planet who believed Mookie Betts would be in this conversation was Mookie Betts. And it’s just something that’s never been done,” Roberts said. “I can’t even do it – it’s unbelievable. Obviously, I can’t say he’s in this position, where last year the confidence wasn’t there playing shortstop and kicking him out to right field to help our ball club, to wonder if it was the right decision to cut him short, to now be a Gold Glove finalist and be so reliable.”
“And I think he’s very entitled to win a Gold Glove. So to add a little bit to his hardware. It’s pretty amazing. Hats off to Mookie.”
Betts can now add the Fielding Bible Award at shortstop to his collection. The Gold Glove winners will be announced on Sunday, November 2.
Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn images
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