Los Angeles superstar Mookie Betts is hitting .167 in his last 20 games.
His OPS is a terrible .441 on that stretch. Manager Dave Roberts, who previously swapped Betts for a leadoff spot to get his spark back, returned the shortstop to second place on Sunday.
Roberts spoke about whether moving further down the lineup could become an option in the near future.
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“I thought about it, and I think it’s a completely fair question,” Roberts said. “I’m trying to figure out what’s best for him, but yeah, I thought about it, and you’re still Andy (Page), Theo is also braking.
With Teoscar Hernández hitting just .205 in the last 20 games, Betts isn’t the only who’s below expectations.
An interesting case for Betts is that his poor performance is a characteristically bad thing. It has been the worst stretch for MVPs since mid-April.
Betts still shows elite plate discipline with a strikeout rate of just 11.1%, suits the 94th percentile of baseball, with a swing-and-miss rate of 16.5%, and ranks in the 87th percentile of qualified batters.
In defense, Betts is a above average fielder in the shortstop position, with outs above the average ranking of the 72nd percentile. He also saves the defensive run sixth among six active shortstops.
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Photo credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Immagn Image
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