Los Angeles Dodgers Superstar Mookie Betts Off to Historically Hot Start in 2024
Mookie Betts leads baseball with five home runs and a 1.772 OPS through eight games, putting the Los Angeles Dodgers on an exclusive list in MLB history.
The Los Angeles Dodgers' entire lineup has been making history so far in 2024, but Mookie Betts has set himself apart in a major way.
Betts went 2-for-5 with a home run against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, extending his hot start to the season. What's even crazier about his stat line, though, is that it actually caused his OPS to go down.
Still, the 1.772 OPS Betts currently boasts is the highest in the league – as are his five home runs, 15 hits, 11 RBI, eight walks and .500 batting average. Beyond that, Betts' OPS is the highest through eight games by any player since Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez in 2015.
The mark ranks No. 7 through eight games since at least 1901, per MLB.com's Sarah Langs.
Naturally, Barry Bonds set the record at 1.824 in 2002, but outside of him, Betts is undoubtedly a bigger star than everyone above him on this list. Bob Nieman, Von Hayes, Ray Lankford and Chris Shelton made a combined two All-Star appearances in their careers, and while Gonzalez made five, Betts has already been to seven Midsummer Classics.
Even before his torrid start to 2024, the 31-year-old Betts arguably already had a Hall of Fame resume.
Dating back to his debut with the Boston Red Sox in 2014, Betts is a career .296 hitter with a .905 OPS. The second baseman-turned-outfielder-turned-shortstop has 257 home runs, 757 RBI, 173 stolen bases, 622 walks and a 64.8 WAR to his name, winning an MVP, six Silver Sluggers, six Gold Gloves and two World Series titles along the way
FanGraphs' ZiPS projections have Betts on pace to finish 2024 with a .287 batting average, 32 home runs, 112 RBI, 12 stolen bases, a .930 OPS and a 6.1 WAR. By all accounts, Betts should be a frontrunner in the NL MVP race.
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