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Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Claims Superior Athleticism Over Three-Time MVP

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Conor Liguori | Last updated Apr 2, 2025 6:00 PM ET

A team with talented baseball players might have difficulty deciding which among them is the best athlete, but one Los Angeles Dodgers player made it abundantly clear who he believes is superlative.

In a poll by The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, shortstop Mookie Betts was voted the best overall athlete by his Dodgers teammates. Betts believes his teammates picked correctly because he said the distance between him and two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is "not even close."

While Ohtani may be physically stronger and faster than Betts at this point in his career, Betts told Rosenthal that he's the more versatile athlete in terms of skill.

"If we're talking about does he run fast, does he jump high and stuff, Shohei would win that," Betts told Rosenthal. "But as far as like pure coordination skills, I don't think it's remotely close. I feel like it's just what I do. It's just what God blessed me with."

Betts is known to be a tremendous bowler and golfer, even rolling a perfect game at the 2017 World Series of Bowling.

Betts' excellence in multiple sports could have swayed his teammates to pick him over three-time MVP Ohtani, who is considered one of the best baseball players ever, if not the best.

"I've never seen Shohei play other sports," Dodgers utility man Chris Taylor told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal."Mookie, pretty much anything that guy does, he's a natural at it. You can pretty much put him on any field or sport, and he can thrive at it."

Rosenthal reports that other Dodgers players who voted for Betts in the poll included Tommy Edman, Freddie Freeman, and Max Muncy.

Starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow couldn't decide which player he thought was the better athlete.

"I think if you define being athletic as picking up whatever sport and being good at it, I'd pick Mookie," Glasnow told Rosenthal. "But Shohei just has the freakish ability to dominate. So it's hard. It's kind of a mixed bag answer."

Needless to say, both Betts and Ohtani showcase their athletic ability on the baseball field by having the talent to play multiple positions.

Ohtani is the premier two-way player in baseball history, recording the first 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases season in MLB history in 2024, and is returning to the pitcher's mound sometime in 2025.

After winning six Gold Glove Awards in right field with the Boston Red Sox and Dodgers, Betts is now the club's starting shortstop.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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