PHOENIX — Troy Tulowitzki by no means knew Mookie Betts significantly effectively throughout their time collectively in Main League Baseball.
A five-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove shortstop, Tulowitzki performed in opposition to Betts loads close to the tip of his 13-year profession, overlapping with the beginning of Betts’ rise to stardom with the Boston Purple Sox. The 2 had mutual associates and have been division foes for 3 years whereas Tulowitzki was with the Toronto Blue Jays from 2015 to 2017.
However with Betts simply starting his profession and Tulowitzki winding down his embellished taking part in days, their interactions have been restricted. The primary time they met, Betts was virtually too shy to say hey.
“He was like, ‘Oh man, I was so scared to talk to you,’” Tulowitzki mentioned with fun not too long ago, after listening to Betts recount the story years later. “Now, obviously, he’s one of the best players in the game.”
Probably the greatest, sure. But additionally one in the hunt for steering in taking part in shortstop.
In order Betts launched into a tireless coaching program this offseason, getting ready to play the place full-time for the Dodgers after his inconsistent three-month stretch final season, he reached out to Tulowitzki and requested to spend a while coaching collectively.
Tulowitzki, now an assistant coach with the Texas Longhorns, fortunately obliged — excited to work with a participant of Betts’ caliber and, like the remainder of the baseball world, additionally curious to see how the six-time Gold Glove proper fielder would fare in his nearly unprecedented place swap.
“To be one of the best defenders in the game, if not the best with the Platinum Gloves and Gold Gloves and all that, and then to go to shortstop,” Tulowitzki mentioned, “I’d watch him play [last year] and was like, ‘Eh, he’s OK there.’ But that’s what he should be.”
Quick-forward a number of months, nevertheless, and you may rely Tulowitzki among the many rising contingent of these bought on Betts’ potential at shortstop.
“I wouldn’t say this for anybody else that’s just spent however many years in the outfield and then go to the infield,” Tulowitzki mentioned of a place change that has no equal in latest baseball historical past. “But I can truly tell you, I think he can be an elite defender at the position — which is just crazy to say.”
Troy Tulowitzki, prime, and Mookie Betts, sliding, have been AL East foes for 3 seasons when Tulowitzki was on the Blue Jays and Betts was with the Purple Sox. Tulowitki, now an assistant coach with the College of Texas, labored with Betts within the offseason on taking part in shortstop.
(Mary Schwalm / Related Press)
Final 12 months Betts obtained a crash course on the place. He was pressed into shortstop duties simply weeks earlier than opening day. He spent the primary half making an attempt to study its intricacies on the fly. And after lacking two months due to a damaged hand, he returned to proper discipline for the stretch run, unable to progress sufficient at shortstop to play there within the playoffs.
This winter Betts benefited from a extra curated tutorial plan. He took grounders on an virtually each day foundation close to his house in Los Angeles. He traveled to see Tulowitzki in Texas and Dodgers coaches in Arizona, engaged on the whole lot from arm slots to assault angles to the psychological technique of dealing with totally different defensive conditions.
Most of all he began to craft a customized fashion on the place, utilizing his pure athleticism and long-time outfield habits to play shortstop with what first base coach Chris Woodward termed a extra “downhill” mentality — already displaying this spring extra of a consolation stage and confidence than he did throughout his nine-error experiment there final season.
“It’s two grades better already,” supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned.
The deferential Betts has been extra reserved in his personal evaluation, emphasizing he nonetheless has a lot to study.
“The one thing I have right now is my technique I practiced in the offseason,” he mentioned. “But the process is gonna be trial and error.”
However others who’ve watched him expressed renewed optimism in his skill to succeed as a shortstop. The identical issues Tulowitzki noticed within the offseason, Dodgers coaches have witnessed within the early days of camp.
“He’s kind of freed up,” mentioned Woodward, who labored with Betts final season as a particular advisor earlier than being employed because the first-base and infield coach this offseason. “He feels like he’s got a style that works well for him. So now it just comes down to maintaining those reps and getting more game reps.”
Betts’ offseason work started virtually as quickly because the Dodgers’ championship parade ended.
Within the first couple of weeks of winter, he and the Dodgers determined to decide to the place swap. And although Betts struggled final 12 months — particularly along with his throws, which accounted for eight of his 9 errors in simply 65 video games at shortstop — the Dodgers have been betting on his perseverance, understanding he was decided to stay on the spot he hadn’t performed full-time since highschool.
“He is dead set on it,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman mentioned at MLB’s winter conferences. “His point is, ‘if I have an offseason to train for this and to get my body in those positions and to learn this, I have no doubt that I can figure it out.’ So we’re going to give him every chance to do that. I wouldn’t bet against him.”
As a result of Dodger Stadium was unavailable amid large-scale renovations, Betts started frequenting native highschool fields with Dodgers video coordinator Petie Montero. Beginning in November, they bounced round between the diamonds at Crespi, Sierra Canyon and Loyola. Generally the periods have been so improvised, Betts used his backpack as a makeshift base.
“Didn’t matter,” Betts mentioned. “As long as you get the work in.”
Every day, with Montero’s iPads filming Betts’ each transfer, Montero hit Betts grounders with a fungo bat for upward of two hours. They began with three periods per week, then 4, then 5 to 6.
In a complete reversal from final 12 months, when Betts needed to fast-track his fundamentals in rushed pregame exercises, the work this winter was methodical. For the primary few weeks, Betts did nothing however discipline grounders to scrub up his footwork. From there he started layering in mushy throws, rising his consolation with the myriad arm angles required. Solely then did he and Montero ramp their means as much as full-speed drills.
“It’s not like he’s trying to learn stuff on the fly, then get ready to go play at 7 o’clock,” mentioned Montero, who shared movie of every session with the remainder of the teaching workers. “I think [this offseason has] given him a little leeway to work on things. And then if we have feels or an understanding of ‘I want to try this’ or ‘Let’s try this,’ we can recreate that when nothing else is happening, when there’s no game that night.”
From his offseason house in Arizona, Woodward reviewed the movie from every session, calling him every day to overview his progress and provide suggestions. On a number of events Woodward and Betts traveled to coach collectively as effectively.
Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts works out at Camelback Ranch on Sunday.
(Ashley Landis / Related Press)
“He’s free-flowing and athletic and he likes to play a little more downhill,” Woodward mentioned, evaluating Betts’ strengths at shortstop to these of former Dodgers All-Star Corey Seager. “His throw is a lot better [than last year], and when he’s in a flow state like that and his body’s moving and synced up, he’s obviously a really special athlete.”
Throwing additionally was the primary focus of Betts’ work in Texas with Tulowitzki. Amid his transition from the outfield, the place Tulowitzki famous “you’re trying to get over the top and create some backspin,” Betts picked Tulowitzki’s mind on how he positioned himself for various tosses throughout the infield. Then, Betts took that suggestions and put it instantly into motion throughout his three-day go to. Over the remainder of the winter he continued to ship Tulowitzki video of his progress too.
“I couldn’t believe the strides that he made,” Tulowitzki mentioned. “I say to do something, and it’s pretty much done in a day or two. And then once he went home, he would send me video back, and I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s it, man.’ Talk about a pretty easy guy to work with. He’s special.”
It doesn’t imply Betts is primed for Gold Glove-caliber play straight away. This spring he has continued to grind via each day shortstop drills, typically remaining on the sphere lengthy after the remainder of the infielders have concluded their rounds of morning grounders. He additionally is aware of that for all of the reps he obtained this winter, nothing will evaluate to the velocity and strain of actual video games, when his new fundamentals will probably be put to the check.
“It’s the first time I’ve had to mentally prepare for something like this,” Betts mentioned. “Again, I didn’t get this opportunity [last year], so this stuff never came across my plate. So I really have no idea. I’m just gonna go out there and give it what I got, and use this spring training to talk to other guys, figure out what information I can use to make better decisions throughout the game.”
The Dodgers do have fall-back plans if Betts struggles. Tommy Edman, the first shortstop in the course of the postseason, is at the moment slated to play middle discipline however may very well be summoned again to the infield. Miguel Rojas will function Betts’ backup however is able to taking over a full-time function and stays the very best defensive shortstop on the staff. Kiké Hernández and Hyeseong Kim additionally may very well be choices.
Miguel Rojas, proper, will seemingly be the backup to Mookie Betts at shortstop this season, and different utility gamers may play the place as effectively.
(Matt York / Related Press)
For now, the chance rests solely with Betts. And to this point, the early opinions have been glowing.
“He’s way more comfortable with the things he’s doing at short,” Rojas mentioned.
“He’s starting to look more natural with how he wants to approach the ball, and his throws have been great in practice,” third baseman Max Muncy added.
“Having the entire offseason to work it is gonna be a game changer for him,” Hernández echoed.
As for Tulowitzki?
“I told him, you’re gonna lose me a lot of sleep,” he joked. “Because now I’m definitely gonna watch Dodgers games.”
