Inside The Dodgers

New Statcast Data Shows Why Dodgers' Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani Are Stars

The two hitters sit on opposite ends of a fascinating new infographic.

J.P. Hoornstra

Mar 29, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Mookie Betts (50) celebrates with teammate Shohei Ohtani.
Mar 29, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Mookie Betts (50) celebrates with teammate Shohei Ohtani. / Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Few men on the planet can swing a baseball bat faster than Shohei Ohtani.

Few men can square up a major league pitch better than Mookie Betts.

Among Dodger fans who have been able to watch the two stars up close this season, perhaps that's intuitive. But a new tool in MLB's growing suite of advanced metrics under the "Statcast" brand —bat tracking leaders — shows just how different yet special the two stars are the plate.

Ohtani's average bat speed of 75.5 mph through Monday ranks as the 17th-fastest swing in the league, according to Statcast. Even fewer hitters square the ball up more than Betts, whose 42.8 percent contact rate ranks 10th through Monday. The data visualizer shows who's squaring up the baseball, who's swinging hard, who's doing both things, and who's doing neither.

Swinging fast is good. So is squaring up the baseball. Do one or the other often enough, and you can play in the best baseball league in the world for a long time. Do both and you're a superstar.

The fact that the Dodgers have two superstars at the top of their lineup, each succeeding in their own way, is special. Ohtani's long left-handed swing and Betts' compact right-handed swings are visually distinct spectacles. But the new data allows us to appreciate on an even deeper level just how much better each player is in his approach compared to their peers.

Ohtani has 11 home runs, 28 RBIs and an MLB-leading .354 batting average and 1.081 OPS through Monday.

Betts has a .341 batting average, seven home runs, 28 RBIs and a discerning eye that's allowed him to reach base at a .440 clip — best in MLB.

Now, Dodger fans can appreciate two stars at their peak on a deeper level than ever.

Published |Modified
J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. HOORNSTRA

J.P. Hoornstra writes and edits Major League Baseball content for Inside the Dodgers, and is the author of 'The 50 Greatest Dodger Games Of All Time.' He once recorded a keyboard solo on the same album as two of the original Doors.