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Mookie Betts
Los Angeles Dodgers
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NL MVP
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LINE MOVEMENT
Confirmed as leadoff man
OFLos Angeles Dodgers
March 13, 2023
Manager Dave Roberts said Monday that Betts will serve as the Dodgers' leadoff hitter in 2023, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
ANALYSIS
Earlier in spring training, Roberts left open the possibility that the lefty-hitting Gavin Lux might displace Betts as the team's table setter against certain right-handed pitchers, but that became a moot point after Lux suffered a season-ending ACL tear Feb. 27. According to Vassegh, Roberts added that Betts, who led off in all 138 of his starts in 2022, will likely see more playing time at second base on days when the Dodgers' top option at the position, Miguel Vargas, requires a day off. He made all but five of those starts in right field a season ago, but with Roberts estimating that the 30-year-old will play close to 20 games at the keystone in 2023, Betts looks as though he'll have a real chance at carrying second-base and middle-infield eligibility into 2024.