Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts and former Dodgers outfielder Justin Dean gave an uplifting message targeted at younger athletes towards the end of their livestream with internet personality Adin Ross on Thursday.
Being MLB players, Betts and Dean have both overcome the odds in their pursuit of greatness. Betts may not have even played baseball if not for his mom, who had to make a team so her son could play, and he nearly quit baseball to pursue a career in basketball while in the minor leagues. Now, Betts is a four-time World Series champion, eight-time All-Star and a surefire inclusion into the Hall of Fame once he retires.
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Dean spent seven seasons in the minors leagues before making his debut for the Dodgers in 2025, and he remained with the team to become a World Series champion in the postseason.
“Enjoy the process of everything,” Betts said. “You get lost in results, you wanna do well, everyone wants to do well. But if you don’t enjoy the process of getting there, then you probably won’t get there.
“…You’ve got to accept the good, but you’ve also got to accept the bad.”
Dean added additional insight after Betts spoke.
“I’d probably double down on that,” Dean said. “From personal experience, I tried to force results, or I’d get hung up on results and I would take everything personally and let it affect my mood or how I wanted work.”
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Dean is no longer with the Dodgers — having been claimed off waivers by the San Francisco Giants at the beginning of the offseason — but will still look to push for success and dethrone his former team in 2026. Betts, on the other hand, will aim for his fifth World Series title and his third in as many years in the new season.
Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
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