Mookie Betts
Markus Lynn "Mookie" Betts (born October 7, 1992) is an American professional baseball outfielder, shortstop, and second baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Boston Red Sox. In 2018, while with the Red Sox, he became the first player in MLB history to win the Most Valuable Player, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, batting title, and World Series all in the same season.[1]
Mookie Betts
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Betts was drafted by the Red Sox in 2011, and made his MLB debut in the 2014 season,[2] splitting time between second base and the outfield. He became the Red Sox center fielder in 2014, before moving to right field in 2016.[3] As a relatively short natural second baseman with a high contact rate and a high level of production when pulling the ball, Betts has been compared to former Red Sox teammate Dustin Pedroia.[4][5]
Outside of baseball, Betts is also a professional ten-pin bowler for the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). He bowled a perfect game in the World Series of Bowling in 2017.[6]
Early life[edit]
Betts' parents chose his name in part to form the initials MLB, matching those of Major League Baseball.[7] He has attributed his nickname Mookie to his parents watching former NBA guard Mookie Blaylock play basketball shortly after Betts was born. Betts has stated that he has never met Blaylock.[8] When Little League Baseball coaches refused to accept Betts because of his small size, his mother started her own team so that her son could play.[9]
In 2010, Betts' junior year at John Overton High School in Nashville, Betts batted .548 with 24 steals. In November of that year, Betts signed a letter of commitment to attend the University of Tennessee on a baseball scholarship, also getting recruited by Vanderbilt University, Mississippi State University, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.[10]
At Overton, Betts was also a standout basketball player, named MVP of the District 12-AAA league his senior season while averaging 14.1 points, nine assists, four rebounds, and three steals per game;[11] and also named Class AAA All-City Player of the Year for the Nashville, Tennessee, metropolitan area.[12] His junior year, Betts was named MVP of the District 12-AAA tournament.[13] Betts also excelled in bowling, named the Tennessee Boys Bowler of the Year in 2010 with a high score of 290. He grew up bowling at the Donelson Strike and Spare in Donelson, Tennessee.[14]
Professional career[edit]
Draft and minor leagues[edit]
The Boston Red Sox selected Betts in the fifth round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft with the 172nd overall pick as a second baseman.[15] After protracted negotiations,[7] Betts subsequently rescinded his commitment to the University of Tennessee, signing a $750,000 contract with the Red Sox organization.[16] Betts played one game in 2011 for the GCL Red Sox of the rookie Gulf Coast League, getting two hits in four at bats.[17] In 2012, he batted .267 and stole 20 bases in 71 games for the short season Lowell Spinners of the New York–Penn League. He played shortstop regularly, but looked more comfortable[18] at second base.[19]
Betts started the 2013 season with the Greenville Drive of the Low A South Atlantic League. In 76 games, Betts batted .296,[19] with a 19-game hitting streak[20] and was selected to the South Atlantic League All-Star Game.[21]
On July 9, Betts was promoted to the Salem Red Sox of the High A Carolina League,[22] batting .341 in 51 games to complete the 2013 season, with a combined .314 average in 127 games between Greenville and Salem, with 15 home runs and 38 steals.[19] Betts was named Offensive Player of the Year and Breakout Player of the Year in the Boston minor league system,[23] leading all Sox minors players with a .506 slugging percentage, while his .314 batting average ranked him third behind Alex Hassan (.338) and Garin Cecchini (.322).[24] Betts was a second-team inclusion on the Baseball America Minor League All-Star Team for 2013, with the first-team selection for second base going to Marcus Semien, an infielder for the Chicago White Sox.[25] Betts subsequently played 16 games for the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League, batting .271.[17]
Film production[edit]
In January 2022, Betts signed a movie production agreement with Propagate Content.[124]
Betts participated in the production of a film focused on the life of Jackie Robinson. The film, Jackie Robinson: Get to the Bag, was shown in a preview event at a New York museum in August 2022.[125]
Personal life[edit]
Although it has been reported that Betts is a nephew of Terry Shumpert,[126] who played parts of 14 seasons with several MLB teams,[127] they are actually first cousins once removed, as Shumpert is a first cousin to Betts' mother, Diana. In 2004, Shumpert spent his final season of professional baseball with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds and worked extensively with Betts.[128] He is a distant cousin of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.[129][130]
In 2021, Betts said that he had "made the switch over to vegan" but by 2023 confirmed he is no longer vegan.[131][132]
Betts and his longtime girlfriend, Brianna Hammonds, began dating in high school.[133] The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter, in November 2018.[134] Betts and Hammonds announced their engagement in January 2021 and married on December 1, 2021, in Palos Verdes, California.[135] They have a home in Franklin, Tennessee.[136] Betts also purchased a mansion for $7.6 million in Encino, Los Angeles, when he became a Dodger.[137]
As a member of the Red Sox, Betts became known for his necklaces. One was a gift from a 13-year-old fan, given to Betts during spring training in 2018 prior to his AL Batting Championship, MVP Award and World Series championship.[138] Betts continued wearing the necklace after being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, a season which culminated in his second World Championship.[139]