Betts made a trip to Driveline Baseball during the offseason at the urging of the Dodgers. The six-time All-Star came away focused on adding weight and gaining strength for the 2023 season.
GLENDALE, Ariz. — You’re going to see more of Mookie Betts this season.
The Dodgers outfielder reported to spring camp on Thursday and weighed in at 178 pounds – “eight, nine pounds” heavier than he was last season, Betts estimated. The need to gain strength was Betts’ one takeaway from an offseason visit to Driveline Baseball in Seattle this winter. A sophisticated, data-driven baseball performance facility, Driveline is more known for its work with pitchers but has increasingly been used by hitters as well to analyze their swing. Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said “a handful” of Dodgers hitters went there this winter with Chris Taylor one of them as well as Betts.
All that sophisticated data feedback resulted in Betts being told “I just need to gain strength, that’s pretty much it.” Usually listed at 180, Betts said he has dropped as low as 167 pounds – “so I was very tiny.”“I haven’t been vegan for like the last four or five years. On the record, I’m not vegan anymore,” he said jokingly.
Betts said the experience at Driveline was “cool” but led to offseason adjustments in his diet, not his swing.A fifth-place finish in the National League Most Valuable Player voting along withand Silver Slugger award last season leaves little room for improvement. But Betts’ 2022 season was a roller coaster. After a miserable start , Betts was red hot in May and again in August . In between, though, he was not very good – a .228 average and .715 OPS.“I’m not sure . I’m honestly not sure.