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