LOS ANGELES — Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, an eight-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion, professed Monday that this has now become the most rewarding season of his fabulous career.
Oh, he’s had better statistical seasons and doesn’t know whether this year will culminate with a fourth World Series championship or not, but sitting behind his prestigious trophy Monday afternoon, and flanked by dignitaries on the dais, he believes there won’t be a season that tops this one.
Betts was honored Monday before Game 3 of the World Series as recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award for his philanthropic efforts, becoming the first player since Carlos Beltran of the 2013 St. Louis Cardinals to earn baseball’s highest off-the-field award while playing in the World Series the same year.
“Just being recognized for something like this is really cool,’’ Betts said. “As a family, we don’t really do a whole lot of things to be recognized for it. We just kind of do it out of the goodness of our hearts.
“But to be recognized is really nice, and especially after this year, going through all that I went through, the changes of moving [positions] and I’m not playing very well, just to know that my on-the-field things are irrelevant to this. You can still be successful and maybe not in a way that you didn’t know.
“It’s just really cool to be able to hold up this award and to know that this had nothing to do with baseball.’’
Betts, 31, was never about receiving attention for his charitable endeavors. He didn’t call the local TV stations. He didn’t advertise his goodness. When he moved to Los Angeles in February 2020 after being traded from the Boston Red Sox, it was in the heart of Covid and there were plenty of folks that needed help.
He discovered there were plenty of homeless that lived close to their neighborhood. He and his wife, Brianna, would leave their home at night and drop off hot meals to those living on the streets, just as he did without drawing attention in Boston.
“I remember many nights me and Bri going to drop off food,’’ Betts said, “but nobody ever knew. We’re not doing that for press or anything. But I just remember that was kind of the beginning of us kind of getting involved in the community.
“We were doing things in Boston as well, so we just took the same blueprint and came to L.A. and it just kind of got bigger and bigger.’’
Betts and the 5050 Foundation now are considered one of the most philanthropic organizations in all of sports, not just baseball, which Betts plans to continue to support long after his baseball career.
“Life is about more than kind of what you do as far as work,’’ Betts said. “It’s about how you affect people. People always remember how you make them feel. So, I know we live by that.
“When we come across people, we always make them smile, do what you can to help them, and the Lord blesses you. So that’s kind of what we care about. We just want to be a good example for all the kids growing up and to know that they can do it, no matter what.’’
Betts and his wife, along with the Dodgers, donated more than $160,000 to the Brother Crusade to help fight hunger and homelessness in Los Angeles, have been active supporting victims of the Los Angeles fires, donates youth sports equipment and funding a youth baseball tournament in his hometown of Nashville, and promotes education and financial literacy through his 5050 Foundation.
“Just give people, kids, opportunities that they may not have,’’ Betts said. “Not everybody’s going to be in the big leagues, but some people can be lawyers, teachers, whatever it is, and we just want to provide options for kids because you never know what you’re going to do.’’
Follow Bob Nightengale on X @BNightengale.