Mookie Betts’ new mindset is fueling the Dodgers in a shocking way

Emma Lingan

Los Angeles Dodgers v Colorado Rockies / Justin Edmonds/GettyImages

You know what they say: if at first you don't succeed ... give up? Evidently, that's all it took for Mookie Betts to rediscover his swing and break out of his career-worst slump with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Between late June and mid-July, Betts endured a harrowing stretch, batting just .183 over 30 games, with a meager .513 OPS in that span. Around late July, he hit a dangerous low, hitting just .148 with an OPS of .411 over a 14-game stretch.

Speaking to reporters (including Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic) earlier this month, Betts essentially gave up on trying to turn his season around and resigned himself to the fact that 2025 simply was not going to be his year.

“This season’s over,” Betts said. “My season’s kind of over. We’re going to have to chalk that up for not a great season.”

As it turned out, these comments that Betts made while in the depths of his slump seemed to be exactly what liberated him from it.

Mookie Betts’ new mindset is fueling the Dodgers in a shocking way

Since making those comments, Betts has hit .348 with a pair of homers and an .874 OPS in his last 17 games. While he had previously been trying to swing for the fences after recovering from an early-season illness, he has since found that focusing more on making contact and playing small ball has been more effective.

“I’m slapping some singles around, hit a couple of homers,” Betts said (via Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic). “Still not normal. But anything is better than what I was doing.”

Betts is also improving defensively at shortstop. Entering Sunday, he was tied for second among all MLB shortstops in Defensive Runs Saved, trailing only Taylor Walls of the Tampa Bay Rays. In Outs Above Average, he was tied for 10th.

Betts also categorically denied reports that he had discussed a move back to the outfield in a closed-door meeting with Dave Roberts and Andrew Friedman. Not only would such a move create yet another new hole on the diamond; it would also move Betts out of a position in which he has become increasingly more comfortable.

With a National League West title on the line, now isn't the time for the Dodgers to be creating more unrest. Don't expect Betts to be moving to the outfield anytime soon now that everything seems to be coming together.

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Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan is an MLB Staff Writer for FanSided primarily covering the Pittsburgh Pirates. She has been covering baseball for more than a decade dating back to her time as a student at Wake Forest University, and she has won two gold medals as a member of the U.S. National Team delegation (2016 Pan-American Championships & 2017 World Baseball Classic). A native of Washington, D.C. and current resident of Nashville, Tenn., she is also entering her seventh season as a credentialed NHL media member and currently covers the NHL’s Nashville Predators for The Hockey News. When she's not watching hockey, baseball or football, she enjoys podcasting, reading, going to the gym, consuming large amounts of coffee and taking long walks with her dog, Minkah. You can follow her @Emma_lingan on Twitter and Instagram.