Betts: 2026 is the year I've learned 'the most'
Veteran star Mookie Betts catches up with Jason Benetti ahead of Sunday Night Baseball, unpacking why this year has been defined by what he has learned, lasting lessons from Dustin Pedroia in Boston, and more.
Video Transcript
Mookie Betts, Jason Benetti.
thank you so much for taking the time.
Appreciate it.
Yes, sir.
Thanks for, thanks for having me.
All right.
So 12 years ago on Monday was your Major League debut at Yankee Stadium.
What did you think Major League baseball was gonna be, and what is it actually?
I honestly, obviously it's a dream come true, but I really thought it was like this, this carefree, you know, you just show up and play.
You know, not really like it's a, a job, you know?
And, the older I've gotten, the, It's, it's still a, still a dream come true, and it's still a game, but you know, when you go through the struggles and whatnot, it kinda becomes a job.
And when you start doing it every day, you know, it kinda becomes a job, if you view it from that perspective.
And so as I've gotten a little older, going through the struggles, I've had to really change my perspective on what this is.
And it's, it's, It is a job, but it is something that is provided for my family, for myself, and something that I, I actually really had to grow to love, because I, I loved baseball growing up, but I played so many other things.
You know?
Yeah.
I had so many other things to kinda fall back on, and now this is kinda the only thing.
And so I really had to learn to love it, and the more that I learned to love it, the more, it became less of a job and, became fun.
When did you clear that hurdle of really loving it?
Ah, oof.
It took a while, man.
It took a while.
I would say probably, you know, just before COVID, I would say.
just 'cause I just didn't know.
You know, you're a kid and you go from having your summers where you can hang out with your boys and do all these other things, to now doing this literally every day.
you know, and then going through the struggles.
It's easy to, to not love something when you go through the struggles, but, if you don't love it through the struggles, then the, the game won't love you.
I, I'm glad you said that about the struggles, because you are such a good adjuster.
Outfield, infield, what you've talked about recently with your style approach at the plate.
How do you know when to do the things you've done before and stay the course, and how do you know when to adjust, Mookie?
That's, I think that's like the million-dollar question.
obviously repeated results that, that, that aren't going your way, you probably need to make some type of adjustment.
But, I think this year is really the biggest, the mo- the, the best, the most that I've learned, and it's really just really getting to watch Freddie.
And I, I, I've gotten to play with him for five years, but I never really watched him.
Like, I was just playing with him, you know?
And, this year I was a- actually able to kinda sit and watch and pay attention, because I was struggling so much early, and I just didn't know what it was.
And he literally does the same routine every day, no matter what.
He found something that works, and whether it works or not that day, it doesn't derail him from his process.
And I think, that's what I've, I've started to learn these last couple weeks, is really just once you find who you are and you find what works for you, like, just s- keep doing it.
You know, master that.
Don't try and if it doesn't work for a couple days now change, now adjust and whatnot, 'cause then you start chasing your tail, and I've done enough chasing of my, of my tail.
But you're g- Like, every teammate you have says, "He's good at everything."
I try.
I mean, I try.
But I mean, baseball hasn't been, I haven't been great at it, you know, earlier in the year.
And la- lately I've been pretty good though.
I, I get it.
Mookie Betts is with us.
What are a couple things, or even one thing that happened when you were younger that you thought at the time, "I wish that wasn't happening to me right now," but you're happy it did?
you know, Petey probably wouldn't like this, but all the times that he would yell at me.
Pedroia.
Pedroia?
He would yell at me so much about, like, you know, if I said I was trying, "I'm trying to do this, I'm trying to do that," and, you know, just teaching me the game.
And he would yell at me so much, and I didn't know really what to think and i- but now that I've gotten a little older, I appreciate it so much, because he really, to this day, he's probably the, the person that's taught me so much about the game and, like, the game within the game and- But you hated it at the time.
I hated it at the time.
You know, I, and I never, obviously would never say anything to him, but you know, I would listen.
And, looking back on it, like, I think he was yelling at me because he actually liked me.
Yeah.
You know?
He liked me.
He wanted to, he wanted me to be successful, obviously for me, but for the team as well.
And, you know, now I look back on it, I appreciate him yelling at me, because now I, I can do the same thing to, to z- a couple of the young guys and understand why and, and why and what he was saying.
going back to that time, how do you think pitchers and pitch design have changed?
And what they're trying to do to you, or hitters in general, since your career started?
yeah.
When I first started, man, I think the average was, you know, probably 90, 91. you know, you would see- You're not even that old.
I know.
I, I know, but it's changed that much, you know?
but yeah, I think it was like 90, 91 you get a guy with a slider and, I mean, a changeup.
You didn't really have You covered, you know, two or three pitches and, you know, you get a couple guys that throw 95, a couple guys that throw 100 or whatever.
but now it's like everybody's kinda built in a lab, you know?
They go to the s- they go to the labs, which I would too if I was a pitcher.
you go and you learn, you know, what you do best and how to build an arsenal around what you do best.
And, and now you have to cover, every day you have to cover five pitches, you know, three different fastballs with a couple different shaped sliders and, I mean, and now everybody's throwing 100, you know?
Even, yeah.
So it's, it's gotten really, really hard to hit, but, um- You know, with Freddy, if you just stick with your process, you'll figure something out.
You see so many fastballs too.
Yeah.
Like, different types of fastballs.
Different types of fastballs.
Wow.
Everything is just, it's hard to hit.
Last thing for you.
How do you think you see the game and remember moments in games differently when you're an infielder as compared to an outfielder?
Just your view.
Yeah, when I was in the outfield, the games would go by and I'm, I wouldn't really remember very many moments.
Just because you're in the outfield, like, you are engaged but you don't have to be the s- engaged the same capacity as an infielder.
So, you know, I would just be out there kind of just waiting for a fly ball to come and then and then go catch it, you know?
and if nothing came, then you'd get bored out there.
but, so I, I didn't really pay attention to as many moments that kinda happened throughout the game, especially the small moments like a two-two strikeout or x, what- whatever, you know, small moments like that.
but when you're in the infield, you, you take in everything.
You take in everything.
Everything, it, it moves fast so you really have to slow the game down.
you know, you're really locked in literally every pitch because the ball could literally come to you at any given moment from anybody.
And so, I really appreciate it.
I feel like it's really kind of added years to me.
Yeah?
just because it's kept me so engaged and kept me, it keeps me, keeps me feeling young, you know?
'Cause I have to be able to move, I have to be able to, adjust, you know, be athletic, and I feel like, playing short I can be the most ath- athletic I can, I can be.
As we let you go, best part of fatherhood is what?
Oh, man, best part of fatherhood.
That, there, there are so many good parts about it.
There's a lot of bad parts when you, you don't get to hang out, you know, you don't get that, that time when you were a kid.
You know, when you're a kid you get to just go in your room and do nothing?
Like, that's o- that's over with, you know?
Which I wouldn't say necessarily is a bad thing, but it's just something different.
but I really, I really feel like, being responsible, for, for someone and, and kinda leading them, to God first and then really just kinda being responsible for their successes, their failures, whatever, being their sh- their, shoulder to cry on.
Really just kinda being someone they depend on.
I think, you know, when I was young I didn't really, I didn't really want that.
Yeah.
But, you know, once I became a father, I really appreciate it.
I re- I really love it and just being able to, to kinda make my kids' day by bringing them a gift or, or whatever, I, I love that responsibility.
Mookie, thank you so much.
Yes, sir.
Thank you, Jesse.
