Mookie Betts Is the Player Baseball Needs: Unchecked

Baseball needs more players like Mookie Betts. And I’m not saying that just because he won everyone free tacos. 

As when you actually see him play, it’s hard to believe there is a better player in MLB. Because Betts makes plays in so many different ways. Whether that be stealing bases, robbing hitters with spectacular grabs in the field, or with his bat at the plate. He's been doing it all the entire postseason.

Betts is refreshingly fun to watch and is a reminder that baseball is more than a zero-sum game. There are indeed other possible outcomes than home runs or strikeouts. One can run and jump and do other exciting things in the sport. And it’s great to see such feats on display in the World Series.

I believe in analytics but it is players like Betts, who pass both the math and the eye test, that will add capturing the imaginations of fans as part of the equation. Which is why I think Mookie is the model player for MLB. 

There isn’t a better example for a blueprint than the all around skill displayed by the star right fielder donning Dodger blue. He’s a big part of the reason Los Angeles is such a likable bunch, especially for a high priced powerhouse team. Because when it comes to an example of what a player in the sport can be, Betts is your best bet. 

And just a reminder to rub it in once more, the Boston Red Sox traded him.