Mookie Betts clearly has an impact on the field. But so far, it’s the impact he had off the field that players likely will miss the most.
Details emerged Sunday evening of a reported deal between the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers that sent both Betts and David Price to L.A. Michael Chavis, for one, will miss how Betts helped make him feel welcome when he first joined the team in April 2019.
“He’s one of the first people who reached out to me and helped me become comfortable,” Chavis said, as transcribed by WEEI.com’s Nick Friar. “He took me under his wing, honestly. No doubt about it. He did a lot to make me comfortable from the day-to-day aspect, but also (toward) growing as a player.”
But it wasn’t just about baseball. Betts helped guide the 24-year-old through the transition to the Major League Baseball lifestyle. And no matter how basic or small the advice might have seemed, it went a long way for Chavis.
“One of the things that stands out to me is he talked to me about my first couple interviews in the big leagues,” Chavis added. “And, obviously, I’d done interviews before. But being in the big leagues, looking back at it, I was talking a million miles a minute. And I talk fast already. So he came up to me and was like, ‘Bro, you don’t got to speed through the interview. They’re not going to attack you. Just take your time.’
“But, just the day-to-day aspect, stuff like that. He took me under his wing. He helped me a lot.”
Of course, he’s not the only one who misses Betts already — Jackie Bradley Jr. had a heartwarming exchange with him on Instagram late Sunday night.
