Mookie Betts has really blossomed into one of the faces of Major League Baseball since being traded from the Boston Red Sox to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
And Betts seems to be embracing that elevated status with the Dodgers, which is not something he always did with the Red Sox.
Betts has let his personality shine through, especially when hosting his very own podcast with Bleacher Report called "On Base with Mookie Betts."
While Betts' former manager Alex Cora is glad the seven-time All-Star is letting out that side of himself, the Red Sox skipper joked about how he isn't exactly a fan of the podcast.
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"The thing I'm really enjoying now is that he's able to show people who he is. It's not about Boston or LA," Cora told reporters prior to Betts' return to Fenway Park on Friday night. "I think it's a mature kid with two kids, his wife and the family kind of like, 'You know what, I'm comfortable now. I'm going to show you who I am.'
"Although the podcast, it's horrible, to be honest with you. It's awful, especially the last one with Kiké (Hernández). That was comedy central."
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Betts offered glimpses of his personality during his six seasons with the Red Sox. Betts mostly showed it during an outfield dance routine with his teammates after wins,
But he seemed to have his guard up most of the time, never letting his walls completely down until now. Cora attributed that to the 30-year-old Betts not only maturing, but having all his attention on the game and what he wanted to accomplish on the field while with the Red Sox.
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"I think he was just doing what he needed to do, not only for us, but for his career," Cora said. "He was so locked in and into that. And then in '20 he gets traded, and then he gets the extension, and probably he was able to breathe. ... He was just so locked into his craft that he wasn't able to see besides that or to open to the rest of you guys the way he's doing it right now.
"It's part of the business. I think he understands that part and we understand that. I'm glad that he's been able to open up and let you guys know who he is as a person because we know the other part. That's special."
Featured image via Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports Images