User:GhostRiver/mookie
| Mookie Betts | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Betts with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023 | |
| Los Angeles Dodgers – No. 50 | |
| Outfielder / Second baseman | |
| Born: October 7, 1992 Smyrna, Tennessee, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 29, 2014, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| MLB statistics (through 2023 season) | |
| Batting average | .294 |
| Hits | 1,485 |
| Home runs | 252 |
| Runs batted in | 756 |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Markus Lynn "Mookie" Betts (born October 7, 1992) is an American professional baseball outfielder and second baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Boston Red Sox. A seven-time All-Star, Betts won the World Series with the Red Sox in 2018 and with the Dodgers in 2020. He was named the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player in 2018.
Early life
[edit]Betts was born October 7, 1992, in Nashville, Tennessee.[1] His mother Diana Collins worked for the Tennessee Department of Transportation, while his father Willie Betts, a Vietnam War veteran, was a railroad mechanical superintendent.[2] When he was five years old, Betts was turned away from his local Little League Baseball team for being undersized, prompting his mother to start and coach her own team.[3]
Professional career
[edit]Draft and minor leagues (2011–2014)
[edit]
The Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB) selected Betts in the fifth round, 172nd overall, of the 2011 MLB Draft.[4] At the time, Betts had committed to playing college baseball for the Tennessee Volunteers.[5] Betts ultimately forfeited his college eligibility and joined the Red Sox on a $750,000 signing bonus.[6]
- 2011 GCL Red Sox
- 2012 Lowell Spinners
- 2013 Greenville Drive
- 2013 Salem Red Sox
- 2013 Surprise Saguaros
After the regular Minor League Baseball season, Betts played in the Arizona Fall League, where he led the Surprise Saguaros to a championship title over the Mesa Solar Sox.[7]
- 2014 Portland Sea Dogs
- 2014 Pawtucket Red Sox
Boston Red Sox (2014–2019)
[edit]- 2014
- 2015
- 2016
- 2017
- 2018
- 2019
Los Angeles Dodgers (2020–present)
[edit]On February 10, 2020, the Red Sox traded Betts, David Price, and cash to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Alex Verdugo, Jeter Downs, and Connor Wong.[8] While the 2020 MLB season was paused due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Betts and the Dodgers agreed to a 12-year, $365 million contract extension to prevent him from reaching free agency that offseason.[9]
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
Betts received his seventh All-Star Game selection in 2023, starting in the outfield for the National League team.[10] He also participated in his first career Home Run Derby, where he was eliminated by Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the first round.[11]
The Arizona Diamondbacks swept the Dodgers in the 2023 NLDS, holding Betts hitless in 11 at bats. After the series, Betts told reporters that he "did absolutely nothing to help [the Dodgers] win".[12] At the end of the year, Betts finished second in NL MVP voting, behind Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves.[13] He also received his sixth Silver Slugger Award and sixth Fielding Bible Award, the latter of which he was given as a utility player for the first time.[14][15]
International career
[edit]In August 2022, Betts committed to representing Team USA at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.[16]
Player profile
[edit]Personal life
[edit]Family and relationships
[edit]Betts met his wife, Brianna Hammonds, in middle school, and they began dating shortly thereafter.[17] They announced their engagement in January 2021 after 15 years of dating,[18] and the couple married that December in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, with many of Betts' Dodgers teammates in attendance.[19] They have two children together: their daughter was born November 6, 2018,[20]
Appearances outside of baseball
[edit]Bowling
[edit]Film production
[edit]Career highlights
[edit]Honors
[edit]Awards
[edit]| Name of award | Time(s) | Date(s) | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All-MLB Team | First team | 2 | 2020, 2022 | TKx2 |
| Second team | 1 | 2019 | TK | |
| All-Star † | 7 | 2016–2019, 2021–2023 | TKx6[10] | |
| Fielding Bible Award | 5 | 2016–2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 | TKx6[15] | |
| Gold Glove Award † | 6 | 2016–2020, 2022 | TKx6 | |
| Home Run Derby participant | 1 | 2023 | [11] | |
| Most Valuable Player † | 1 | 2018 | TK | |
| Silver Slugger Award † | 5 | 2016, 2018–2020, 2022, 2023 | TKx6[14] | |
| Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award | 2 | 2016, 2018 | TKx2 | |
| World Series champion | 2 | 2018, 2020 | TKx2 | |
| Notes: † – Awarded for play in the American League from 2014 to 2019, and in the National League from 2020 onward. Per Baseball-Reference.com and listed references. | ||||
Statistical highlights
[edit]See also
[edit]- 30–30 club
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
- List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Mookie Betts Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ Castillo, Jorge (October 22, 2020). "Mookie Betts' Nashville upbringing steadied by constant caring from both parents". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ Rexrode, Joe (October 12, 2018). "The Mookie Betts story, starring Nashville and strong parents". The Tennessean. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ Cole, Mike (September 23, 2016). "Even Red Sox Undervalued Mookie Betts, And How Bowling Shaped His Swing". New England Sports Network. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ Ward, Austin (June 8, 2011). "Signee Betts may still attend UT". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. C3. Retrieved October 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Cirillo, Chip (August 17, 2011). "Vols lose Betts to Red Sox". The Tennessean. p. C6. Retrieved November 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Abraham, Peter (November 16, 2013). "Betts helps Surprise to AFL title". Boston Globe. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
- ^ Gurnick, Ken (February 11, 2020). "Mookie Betts is officially on his way to LA". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
- ^ Passan, Jeff (July 22, 2020). "Mookie Betts agrees to 12-year, $365 million extension with Dodgers". ESPN. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
- ^ a b Toribio, Juan (June 30, 2023). "Mookie, Freeman, J.D. earn All-Star starting spots, then keep raking". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ a b Harris, Jack (July 10, 2023). "The 'crazy' reason why Mookie Betts never had a chance in Home Run Derby". Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ Hernández, Dylan (October 12, 2023). "Column: Playoff implosion of Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman a bad omen for Dodgers' future". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Toribio, Juan (November 16, 2023). "Mookie (2nd), Freeman (3rd) finish behind Acuña Jr. in NL MVP voting". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ a b "Mookie Betts wins Louisville Silver Slugger Award". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ a b "Mookie Betts wins multi-position Fielding Bible Award". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. October 26, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Clair, Michael (August 25, 2022). "Mookie Betts commits to Team USA". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ Krol, Jacklyn (July 11, 2023). "Who Is Mookie Betts' Wife? All About Brianna Hammonds". People. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ McCarriston, Shanna (January 11, 2021). "Dodgers star Mookie Betts gets engaged to longtime girlfriend Brianna Hammonds". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ Bowker, Brittany (December 3, 2021). "Mookie Betts ties the knot with longtime girlfriend Brianna Hammonds". Boston Globe. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ London, Adam (November 6, 2018). "Mookie Betts Celebrates Birth Of First Child With Heartfelt Instagram Post". New England Sports Network. Retrieved October 31, 2023.