Dodgers' Mookie Betts Gets Worst Strike Calls of Any MLB Hitter: Report

Maren Angus-Coombs | Jun 14, 2024

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Dodgers lead-off batter Mookie Betts has been leading Major League Baseball in a variety of categories throughout the season including batting average, home runs, and hits. However, now he leads in a surprising new category.

According to a report published by Inside Edge on X (formerly Twitter), Betts is leading the league with 43 strikes called outside the zone against him this season.

Mookie Betts leads MLB with 43 strikes called outside the zone against him this season.#Dodgers pic.twitter.com/P7o4L5Nrdb

— Inside Edge (@IE_MLB) June 14, 2024

Despite the 43 called strikes outside of the strike zone, Betts only has 33 strikeouts in 319 plate appearances. He has 46 walks and his on-base percentage is .408.

He has created consistency at the top of the order and is on pace for one of the best seasons of his career while learning how to play shortstop, a position he hadn't played since high school. Every day, he fields dozens of ground balls in pregame infield drills, enduring the toil of perfecting the shortstop position.

Betts isn't perfect and manager Dave Roberts knows that, but he does think the infielder is almost perfect.

“There’s no perfect player,” Roberts told the Los Angeles Times recently. “But if there is as close to a perfect player, it’s Mookie Betts. It really is.”

The adjustment hasn't come without its challenges. However, those challenges have mostly been on defense. His offensive approach hasn't suffered much, if at all.

While playing in every game and spending hours on the field before, he has been setting a tremendous example for his teammates. They believe that he is going to master the art of shortstop.

“It’s Mookie Betts,” Freddie Freeman said. “Everyone knows he will master it.”