Mookie Betts on underwhelming season: ‘I’m just not doing anything right’
The 2018 MVP went 2-for-11 in a three-game sweep of the Royals.
To this point in the season, Mookie Betts hasn’t been in the same elite form that made him the 2018 American League Most Valuable Player.
Following an April in which he posted a .301 batting average, Betts has since hit just .250 with just four home runs, one of which tied the game against the Kansas City Royals on Thursday night.
Overall, Betts hasn’t had an overly poor season. Through 61 games, he’s batted .271, well above the league average of .249, with an .849 OPS to go along with his usual stellar defense in right field. He’s also second in the American League in runs with 48. Still, after such an outstanding 2018 season, the numbers are relatively disappointing.
“I feel fine physically. I’m comfortable. I’m just not doing anything right,” Betts told Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. “It’s been tough.”
At this point, Mookie Betts is trying anything to get some pop in his bat.https://t.co/mZsTI6pvVC By @PeteAbe pic.twitter.com/MvDivTj896
— Boston Globe Sports (@BGlobeSports) June 7, 2019
Betts has been testing out new ways to get back to the level he was a season ago, including taking a small sip of a Pure Green Wake Me Up Shot and then pouring the rest over his bat before Thursday’s game, per Abraham. Maybe Betts is onto something, as he rocketed two-run homer to left field in the third inning to help the Red Sox to a 7-5 victory.
“It feels like it’s a matter of time when you’re swinging at good pitches,” he added. “Fortunately we have other guys in our lineup — Xander [Bogaerts], [Rafael] Devers and J.D. [Martinez] — you have to stop right now. They’ve been carrying us all year for sure.”
“I feel like I’m just not doing anything with the pitches that I’m getting. I have to keep taking good swings and hopefully that changes.”
The good news is that there’s a lot more season to go and the Red Sox are still 33-29 without Betts playing at his usual MVP-caliber level.
“Be consistent. Be the guy who finds a way,” Betts said. “Right now I’m not necessarily doing that. But what I can do is score a run or get a hit or draw a walk.”
