Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts is gearing up for a comeback season in 2026, and early signs suggest he might be inching back to his MVP-caliber form. Betts recently opened up about a key concern: his bat speed, which took a noticeable dip last year.
Reflecting on his 2025 performance, Betts admitted, “I’ve always kind of tracked it. But last year was probably the most alarming because it was down just about 10 mph.
There’s no excuse there. It’s something I’ve tracked, and I’ll keep up with.
It doesn’t matter for everyone, but for me it does.”
Much of Betts’ struggles at the plate were linked to his transition to shortstop, a demanding switch that required significant focus. Adding to his challenges, a stomach bug hit him hard at the start of the season, causing him to lose around 20 pounds from his usual 180-pound frame. This weight loss translated to a slower bat speed, impacting his performance against pitchers throwing heat.
Fortunately, Betts has bounced back physically. “I think the most important part is I think I’m 178 now, almost 180.
I’m able to just have speed,” he noted. “When I lost all that weight, I was down 10 mph in (bat) speed.
Guys are throwing 100 mph. With a slow bat, it’s going to be hard.
It’s no excuse. It’s a fact.
Now that I’ve got my speed back, I don’t have to hurry up and make decisions so fast.”
Looking back at 2025, Betts managed to recover by season’s end, but his early struggles marked one of the toughest stretches of his career. He finished with a .258 batting average, a stark contrast to his stellar .346 average during his MVP-winning 2018 season. It was also the first time since 2014 that he missed out on an All-Star selection and MVP votes, as noted by Baseball Reference.
As we head into the new season, expectations are high. Baseball Reference projects Betts to rebound with a .273/.354/.460 slash line. If these projections hold, we could see Betts reclaiming his place among the league’s elite, making the Dodgers a formidable force once again.