Extra bases
When it comes to Mookie Betts ,it seems anything is possible. The Dodgers initially decided to move him to second base this season to fill a need. Now he’ll be at shortstop, the move coming after Gavin Lux struggled with his throwing during spring training. Betts started 12 games at shortstop last season, all in the first half. Before that he hadn’t played the position since 2012 when he was with Single A Lowell. You have to wonder if the Dodgers will eventually obtain a shortstop — Willy Adames of the Brewers? — and move Betts back to second base or right field to protect him from wearing down physically. It also raises the question of how the Dodgers could invest as much as they did in their roster and not have a reliable shortstop. Whether Betts plays shortstop for 25, 50 or 150 games, that he was willing and able to switch positions further underscores what a historic blunder the Red Sox made in trading him. It was incredibly foolish in 2020 and has only gotten worse since
. . . The Blue Jays have Justin Turner and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on their 40man roster with Daniel Vogelbach and now Joey Votto in camp on minor league deals. Guerrero will be the regular first baseman and Turner took a $13 million deal to be the designated hitter. Votto can play first and DH, while Vogelbach is a full-time DH. Those parts don’t fit together well. Guerrero has averaged 158 starts the last three seasons, DH-ing on the days he doesn’t play first base. If there’s a role for Votto, it could be as a backup first baseman and DH against some righthanders. Votto is a Toronto native and Blue Jays fans will want to see him on the field
. . . If he can stay healthy, Detroit’s Tarik Skubal will be a Cy Young contender this season. He’s taken a step forward with his command . . . Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto were in the lineup for the Dodgers on Wednesday when they played the White Sox in Arizona. There were 10 media members representing outlets in the United States, 35 from Japan. To a lesser degree, that’s happened in Fort Myers, too. When the Rays started Naoyuki Uwasawa on Tuesday against a Red Sox lineup that included Masataka Yoshida, there were 10 Japanese media at JetBlue Park and only five who regularly cover the Sox and Rays . . . Northeastern beat Georgia Tech, 7-0, on Wednesday. Upsetting an ACC team is a major accomplishment for the Huskies, but the bigger story might have been the work their pitchers did against Yellow Jackets star freshman Drew Burress, who was 0 for 5. Burress was 18 of 43 (.419) in his first 10 games with six doubles, a triple, seven walks, 10 home runs, and 23 RBIs . . . Happy birthday to Mike Timlin, who is 58. The reliable righthander pitched for the Red Sox from 2003-08, appearing in 394 games, fifth in team history. Timlin won World Series with the Blue Jays (1992, ’93) and Sox (2004, ’07) and appeared in 46 postseason games.