""I take a lot of pride of it because the start of the season I wasn't sure I would end the season there," Betts said. "I thought there may have to be adjustment at some point because from lack of trust or whatever. I just didn't know. I didn't know.""
""When I started playing short and I didn't have to think about it. I could just go out there and play. And now when I go out and play shortstop, it's like I'm going out to right field. I don't even think about it. My training is good. I believe in myself. I believe in what I can do. And now it's just like go have fun. When the ball comes, have fun. So that's when I knew I could finish the season.""
Mookie Betts began the season battling a stomach virus that cost him about 20 pounds and caused him to miss two regular-season games in Japan. He later broke his toe, endured a career-worst hitting slump for most of the season, and lost his stepfather at the end of July. Betts made an unprecedented switch from right field to shortstop, finished batting .299 with a .846 OPS in his last 50 games before the postseason, ranked in the 87th percentile Outs Above Average among MLB shortstops, and recorded 17 Defensive Runs Saved, leading all active shortstops. Betts credited confidence, training, and playing with fun for allowing him to finish the season at shortstop.
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