Suffice to say, when the Dodgers acquired outfielder Mookie Betts (and his one-year / $27 million contract) from the Boston Red Sox on February 5, 2020, and subsequently re-signed him to an enormous 12-year / $365 million contract extension on July 22. 2020 that will run through the 2032 season, they did so because of his career .302 / .374 / .524 / .898 slash line, for which he won three Silver Slugger awards (2016, 2018, and 2019), and perhaps even more so for his career .990 fielding percentage, for which he won four consecutive Gold Gloves (2016 – 2019). And even though he very well may win his fourth career Silver Slugger award for his current .301 batting average and team-high 14 home runs, winning a fifth consecutive Gold Glove ain’t gonna happen.

During his remarkable run of Gold Glove seasons, the (now) 27-year-old Nashville, TN native and fifth-round draft pick by the Red Sox in 2011 out of Overton High School in Nashville, made one error, five errors, five errors, and two errors for fielding percentages of .997, .987, .996, and .994 respectively; without question Gold Glove-worthy numbers.

However (and you had to know a ‘however’ was coming), through his 40 games played on defense out of the Dodgers 45 games played thus far during the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, Betts has already committed four errors in 90 total chances for a non-Betts-like (and non-Gold-Glove-like) .956 FPCT; including an extremely rare two-error night on Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks … on one play (fielding and throwing).

Although it came as a surprise to every Dodger fan on the planet when they saw that Betts was in Thursday’s lineup as the Dodgers second baseman, truth be told, he was actually drafted by the Red Sox as a second baseman. Who knew, right? That being said, it didn’t take long for Boston to realize that they had a Hall of Fame-caliber outfielder in their midst.

Betts did, however, appear in 16 games as the BoSox second baseman over the course of three seasons. But here’s the catch (Attention: Dave Roberts), in those 16 games, he committed a combined three errors in a combined 30 total chances for a respectable (but not Gold Glove-worthy) .957 FPCT.

In his debut (and hopefully last game) as the Dodgers second baseman during Thursday’s inexcusable 5-2 loss to the National League West last-place Arizona Diamondbacks, Betts did not commit an error in his two chances. However (and you had to know a ‘however’ was coming), although Betts’ replacement in right field – utility infielder/outfielder Kiké Hernandez – was not charged with any errors, he made several poor plays and bad throws, allowing several D-backs runners to take an extra base.

In other words and in the simplest of terms, if healthy and aside from an occasional well-deserved day off, Betts must, absolutely must, be the Dodgers’ everyday right fielder.

…Gold Gloves notwithstanding.

Play Ball!

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