MOOKIE BETTS: SPRING TRAINING WEEK 3 RECAP
MOOKIE BETTS: SPRING TRAINING WEEK 3 RECAP
Mookie Betts enjoyed a good week. He continues to have better at-bats getting ready for the season. Betts went 5 for 11 this week, which would be a .454 average. Just continually showing why he’s the premier lead-off hitter. He’s in a good place and found a nice zone and rhythm that he will look to build upon.
Mookie vs. the Royals
His first game of the week came against the Royals, where he went 0 for 2. First at-bat, Betts grounded out, and then in his second at-bat, he struck out swinging on the 7th pitch, which was an outside pitch. There have been times this spring where Mookie looks at a strike right down the middle where he looks like he wants to pull the trigger but doesn’t. Sort of like his timing is off a little bit. He looks away towards the dugout, upset at himself for letting one go by. As Spring Training goes along, I’m hoping to see him pull the trigger on those.
Mookie vs. the Rockies
In the game against the Rockies, Betts went 1-for-3, where he had an infield single up the middle on the 7th pitch of the at-bat. Nice to see because he swung at the first pitch in his first at-bat, which is rare for him. He’s always one to work the counts. He then promptly stole second base after getting on, and that’s a part of his game that we’ve seen have a big impact on this team; look no further than the playoffs to see that impact. In his third at-bat, he got an RBI on a hard-hit ball to 3rd base.
Mookie vs. the Brewers
The third game this week was against old friend Josh Lindblom and the Milwaukee Brewers. Didn’t have an official at-bat because he walked twice. The first at-bat was an 8 pitch walk. He did a good job fouling off and spitting on tough pitches. In his next appearance, he walked on 4 straight pitches that weren’t particularly close to the zone.
Mookie vs. the Diamondbacks
The next game came against Merill Kelly and the Diamondbacks, which was a high-scoring affair. He went 3 for 4 in the game and hit the ball hard all game long. Betts doubled to left-center in his first at-bat and then followed that with a hard-hit single to right. Got a fastball on the outside part of the plate, and he went with it and smoked it that way. He then popped out by getting way out in front of a breaking ball. In his last at-bat, he singled off the 3rd baseman’s glove. Excellent game for Betts here.
Mookie vs. the Rangers
His final game of the week came against the Rangers. Betts only had two at-bats, and he went 1 for 2 in those at-bats. In his first AB, he ripped a hanging breaking ball for a double down the left-field line. In his next at bat, he flew out to deepish right-center before being pulled.
Really solid week for Betts, which saw him raise his batting average to .435. He showcased why he’s the top leadoff hitter in baseball by making the pitchers work, taking walks, stealing bases, and driving the ball all over the yard.
WEEKLY STATS:
Positions played: RF
BA: .454
OPS: .900
AB’s: 11(25)
2B: 2(3)
3B: 0(0)
RBI: 1(1)
HR: 0(0)
BB: 2(5)
SO: 1(4)
Err: 0(0)
For Betts stats, click here. For last week’s recap, click here.
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