It’s been 3 weeks since spring training games began. For the Dodgers, they decided to let Mookie Betts play shortstop. Mookie Betts began the 2024 season as a shortstop. However, after being activated from the IL, he moved to right field. Mookie Betts, without doubt, is a great player and an MVP award winner. While seeing him play shortstop, I began to think about a question.
Mookie Betts signed a 12-year contract extension with the Dodgers in 2020 and it’s expected to see him in the Dodgers uniform till 2032. Well, we can’t guarantee if he will still play shortstop in 2032. Nonetheless, if he continues playing shortstop for the coming seasons, will he become the best shortstop in the Dodgers franchise history?
To solve my doubts, I decided to check on the great Fangraphs website.
In the Dodgers franchise history, Pee Wee Reese is the only shortstop who collected more than 2000 hits. He played 16 seasons for the Dodgers and was a 10-time All-Star. His number was retired by the Dodgers and he was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1984. Additionally, 3 other players, who mainly played shortstop, each had 1000+ hits for the Dodgers. Bill Russell played 18 seasons for the Dodgers and had 1926 hits. Maury Wills played 12 seasons for the Dodgers and collected 1732 hits. Ivy Olson spent 10 seasons with the Dodgers, collecting 1100 hits.
In addition, let’s take a look at the number of home runs. Pee Wee Reese had 126 home runs in his career. Corey Seager was the shortstop of the Dodgers from 2015 to 2021. In those 7 seasons, he smashed 104 home runs. Seager and Reese are the only 2 shortstops in franchise history with 100+ home runs.
Thirdly, let’s take a look at runs batted in. Pee Wee Reese collected 885 RBI in his career. Bill Russell had 627 RBI in his career. Reese and Russel are the only 2 shortstops who collected more than 600 RBI for the Dodgers.
Fourthly, Maury Wills’ speed was surely his weapon. He had 490 stolen bases in 12 seasons with the Dodgers. In particular, he stole 104 bases in 1962. Furthermore, Pee Wee Reese had 232 steals in his career. They are the only 2 shortstops with more than 200 steals in franchise history.
Now, let’s look at batting average. Among the Dodgers shortstops who had at least 1500 plate appearances, Corey Seager had the highest batting average. He owned a .297 batting average from 2015 to 2021. Arky Vaughan played 4 seasons for the Dodgers and had a batting average of .291.
Finally, let’s look at OPS. Corey Seager owned an .870 OPS in his 7 seasons with the Dodgers. Among the Dodgers shortstops who had at least 1500 plate appearances, no one else had an OPS over .800. Glenn Wright played 5 seasons for the Dodgers and had a. 787 OPS.
Looking at the Dodgers franchise history, Pee Wee Reese is certainly an extremely important player for the Dodgers. At this moment, there is little doubt that he might be the best shortstop in franchise history. Nonetheless, Corey Seager had done a good job in those 7 seasons with the Dodgers with 100+ home runs and an OPS over .800. Well, for Mookie Betts, it’s going to be his 6th season with the Dodgers. He only played 65 games as a shortstop last season. In the 2025 season, let’s see if he will play full season as a shortstop.
No comments:
Post a Comment