'there's Endless Possibilities.' Mookie Betts Embraces Yoshinobu Yamamoto's Training Methods

PHOENIX — After a fewer days away, Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts returned to Camelback Ranch complete nan weekend, now a begetter of 3 aft his wife, Brianna, gave birth.

The 33-year-old Betts said earlier successful campy he was looking to easiness into outpouring training up of his 13th awesome convention play successful an effort to move nan page from a career-worst statistical twelvemonth successful 2025. There person been encouraging signs arsenic he’s hitting .316 successful Cactus League play, which includes a location tally successful Sunday’s split-squad triumph complete nan Chicago Cubs.

“I conscionable want to get better,” Betts said. “I’m not contented pinch being wherever I’m at. I want to proceed to get amended successful life and everything, and you know, beryllium capable to benignant of thatch my boy really to beryllium great. You know, I’ve sewage to spell done it first. When you’re open-minded, there’s endless possibilities.”

Betts kept an unfastened mind erstwhile he first learned of teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s unsocial workout routine, which includes javelin throwing, yoga, and moving pinch individual trainer Osamu Yada. Betts credits his improved defense astatine shortstop to nan caller training methods that he’s adopted.

“I’m not afloat successful his full routine,” Betts said of Yada, who is often referred to arsenic Yada Sensei. “But I aftermath up each greeting and do my agelong regular that Sensei showed me, throwing nan javelins each day. I deliberation throwing javelins is nan logic why I tin make a play successful nan spread for illustration that and propulsion it successful nan aerial connected a line. I’m really grateful for Yoshi and Sensei, because they person decidedly changed my perspective, changed my life, changed my game.”

Betts graded arsenic a below-average defender successful his first play astatine nan shortstop position successful 2024, posting a minus-6 successful Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-3 successful Outs Above Average. Last season, he saw a sizable improvement, starring MLB shortstops successful DRS (+17) and placing successful nan top-third successful OAA (+6).

It wasn’t difficult for Betts to look astatine Yamamoto and deliberation that nan Japanese superstar whitethorn person been onto something.

“So I mean, Yoshi came complete and [got] $300 million, and he hadn’t moreover thrown a transportation complete here,” Betts said. “So, I’m beautiful judge he does thing right.”

Betts has yet to spot nan workouts construe offensively, but expects that to travel successful owed time.

“He said yet I’ll consciousness wherever it helps maine hitting, but I haven’t gotten to that constituent yet,” Betts said. “I deliberation he should beryllium back, truthful you’ll spot america backmost working, and yet I’ll get it, but he said it will return a small time.”

In nan meantime, Betts believes he’s recovered an easy hole that should return him to nan MVP-caliber subordinate he had been for adjacent to a decade. Betts says he mislaid 10 mph successful bat velocity past season.

“I deliberation nan astir important portion is now that I deliberation I’m 178 [pounds] now, almost 180 [pounds], truthful I’m capable to conscionable person speed,” Betts said. “When I mislaid each nan weight, I was down 10 mph successful speed. You’ve sewage guys throwing 100 mph pinch a slow bat, it’s going to beryllium difficult to do. It’s not an excuse, but it’s a fact. So, now I’ve sewage my velocity back, I don’t person to hurry up and make decisions truthful fast.”

Said Dodgers head Dave Roberts: “I for illustration wherever he’s astatine physically. He looks stronger.”

A tummy unwellness prompted Betts to suffer 15 to 20 pounds . past spring, putting him down nan eight-ball, and he ne'er rather caught up aft that.

“[I was] down 10 mph successful bat speed,” Betts said. “Do you cognize really difficult it is for personification that weighs 160 lbs. to summation bat speed, to summation spot and play a crippled each astatine nan aforesaid clip during nan season? It’s reliable to do. I tried it. I grounded astatine it. But we’re successful a caller spot now, and we’ll effort to enactment here.”