Inside The Dodgers

Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts Has High Praise for Mookie Betts' 'MVP-Type Season'

Betts has been on fire this entire season.

Maren Angus-Coombs

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
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The Los Angeles Dodgers left for a season-long nine-game road trip spanning three cities and two countries hoping to break out of a funk that saw them drop three consecutive series to sub-.500 teams at home.

The Dodgers returned home early Thursday morning outscoring their opponent 53-19 and going 7-2 against the Washington Nationals, Toronto Blue Jays, and Arizona Diamondbacks. The road trip proved that their less-than-outstanding homestand might have been a fluke.

“People expect us to win every game,’’ Dodgers sensation Mookie Betts told USA TODAY Sports. “They expect us to hit homers every at-bat. It’s like we’re not humans.

“It’s a silly game. You’re going to have ups and downs no matter who you are. It’s inevitable. Remember, this game is based off failure, not success. It’s good to have those expectations though. The guys we have in here, the coaches, we have a lot of confidence.

“But we got to go play.’’

Leading the Dodgers on the road trip was Betts, who had five multi-hit games with a .512 on-base percentage. He was named the National League Player of the Month by Major League Baseball on Friday and should be considered an early favorite for the N.L. Most Valuable Player hitting a league-leading .363 with a .466 on-base percentage, 1.066 OPS, 49 hits, 29 runs, and 26 walks.

“He just conducts professional at-bats,’’ Roberts says, “and that’s a perfect recipe for an MVP-type season.’’

The most impressive part of Betts' season so far is that he's doing it all while learning a new position at the highest level. He looks like he's been a shortstop his entire career.

“To his credit,’’ Roberts says, “he really raised his level of play. Certainly, right now, he’s an above-average shortstop. I grade him out as a solid B-plus. It’s hard to imagine that given where he started. It’s really, really impressive."

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Maren Angus-Coombs

MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State and has been a sports writer since 2008. Despite growing up in the South, her sports obsession has always been in Los Angeles. She is currently a staff writer at the LA Sports Report Network.