Mookie Betts potentially in rare territory as Dodgers shortstop،
Mookie Betts will play in less familiar territory this season as the Los Angeles Dodgers take on the San Diego Padres in South Korea on Wednesday (6:05 a.m. ET on ESPN).
Earlier in spring training, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced that Betts, who has primarily played in the outfield throughout his career, would move to shortstop. Roberts said the decision was “permanent, for now.”
Betts spent time between the outfield, shortstop and second base last season – he started 12 games at shortstop. He also started 13 games at the position in the minor leagues.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, only one player in MLB history has started 100 games at shortstop in a season after winning a Gold Glove in the outfield. Tom Tresh did it in 1968 for the New York Yankees. Betts is a six-time Gold Glove winner as an outfielder.
Betts can also become the fifth player in the expansion era (since 1961) to play primarily shortstop in a season for the first time in his career after turning 30, according to Elias Sports Bureau .
Here's a look at how the other four fared.
Statistics: 81 starts, 107 games played
The current New York Mets shortstop has spent most of his career playing second and third base. Last season with the Miami Marlins, Wendle, 33, had 218 assists and 46 double plays, both the second-most of his career. However, he had a career-low .212 batting average with 20 RBIs and two home runs.
Jamey Carroll, 2010
Statistics: 64 starts, 69 games played
Similar to Wendle, Carroll had alternated between second and third base during his career. Then with the Dodgers, when they were without a shortstop in 2010, he became a member of the rotation.
His 64 starts at the position that season were the most of his career. He split time with Rafael Furcal, who made 91 starts in 93 appearances at shortstop.
Carroll had 195 assists, 32 double plays and just four errors. He made 90 starts for the rest of his career, but never at the pace he did in 2010.
Nick Green, 2009
Statistics: 74 starts, 81 games played
At 30 years old, Green is just making the difference. After struggling to find his way into the majors, the Boston Red Sox used Green as their primary shortstop in 2009.
He made 74 starts and 81 games at the position, both of which were career highs. Green had 221 assists – second-most on the team – and 43 double plays – third-most. He also hit .236 and had career highs in home runs (6) and RBIs (35).
He was cut by the Dodgers the following season, opening the shortstop spot for Carroll.
Mike Lansing, 2001
Statistics: 71 starts, 76 games played
In the final season of his MLB career, Lansing had a good year at a position he had only played 67 times before.
He had 172 assists and 37 double plays, both high marks from his time at shortstop. He also hit .301, the highest since the 1998 season, with 43 RBIs and eight home runs.
Tom Tresh, 1968
Statistics: 116 starts, 119 matches played
Of all the players who primarily shift to shortstop, Tresh is the most unique.
He won Rookie of the Year in 1962 as the Yankees' primary shortstop. He moved to the outfield from 1963 to 1967, where he won a Gold Glove in 1965.
Tresh eventually returned to his old position. He had a career-high 409 assists and 70 double plays, both second-highest on the team, but hit a career-low .195.
