Table of Contents
- Key Highlights
- Introduction
- From sudden decline to targeted experimentation: what happened to Betts
- What those drills actually target: mechanics, not gimmicks
- How core strength, balance and proprioception map to hitting performance
- Why weight loss matters for power hitters
- Neuromuscular reprogramming: why unconventional drills can succeed
- What the Dodgers and other teams gain from cross-pollination
- Measuring success: metrics that matter
- Potential benefits short-term and long-term
- Risks and limitations to watch
- Case studies and comparable examples from sports
- How coaches and players can implement similar work safely
- What to expect timeline-wise
- Evaluating whether Betts is “declining” or recalibrating
- Broader implications for player development and team practice culture
- Final perspective: adaptation, measurement and persistence
- FAQ
Key Highlights
- After a difficult 2025 season marked by an undiagnosed stomach illness, weight loss and personal loss, Mookie Betts has been experimenting with teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s trainer-led exercises — heavy “human carries” and broom-handle throwing drills — to regain balance, core strength and power.
- The interventions Betts is testing target the kinetic chain, proprioception and rotational stability. Those elements are critical for bat speed and exit velocity, but gains require coordinated work on nutrition, recovery and swing-specific mechanics.
- Unconventional drills can reset neuromuscular patterns and address deficits that traditional weight-room work misses, but they carry injury and adaptation risks; measuring exit velocity, hard-hit rate and launch-angle consistency will determine whether the approach delivers a sustained rebound.
Introduction
Mookie Betts is a proven elite performer. He has compiled MVP-level seasons, collected Gold Gloves and hit the long ball with authority. Last year, however, the usual tools that have defined his offensive profile faltered: his average dipped to a career low, his power numbers evaporated and he spent the spring fighting a stomach illness that cost him nearly 20 pounds. Grief followed the illness, and the combined toll left him searching for answers that conventional offseason routines had not delivered.
The solution he has begun testing is unexpected. On a Glendale, Arizona field, Betts was filmed carrying Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s trainer on his shoulders and moving through choreographed steps. He joined Yamamoto in throwing-accuracy sessions using a broom handle as a javelin-like implement. Those images are more than offseason spectacle. They represent a focused attempt to rebuild the chain of movement that produces elite bat speed and to restore balance in a body that lost mass and stability.
This article examines why Betts turned to these particular drills, the science behind them, how they map to hitting performance, the potential benefits and pitfalls, and what to watch for as the experiment unfolds. The narrative moves from the context of his decline to the biomechanics of rotational power, then to practical considerations for athletes and coaches who use unconventional modalities to chase marginal gains.
From sudden decline to targeted experimentation: what happened to Betts
Performance drops among elite athletes rarely arise from a single cause. Betts’ 2025 season offered a compact set of compounding problems that explain why he needed to look beyond usual offseason protocols.
Illness and weight loss Betts described an undiagnosed stomach illness that he said was “eating” away at him. The physical effects were tangible: nearly 20 pounds lost, less energy, diminished ability to train with the same intensity. Weight loss at that magnitude has multiple consequences for a hitter: reduced absolute mass to transfer into a swing, potential loss of muscle fiber cross-sectional area, altered leverage and decreased capacity for force production.
Grief and psychological strain The passing of his stepfather introduced a profound emotional variable. Betts summarized the experience with a straightforward assessment of grief’s stages — anger, sadness, acceptance — and the way they affect presence and performance. Psychological strain disrupts routines, saps focus during games and practice, and interferes with sleep and recovery processes, all of which impair motor learning and consistency.
Compounded effects on swing mechanics Together, physical and emotional stressors created both mechanical and neuromuscular changes. A hitter who loses mass and feels off-balance will often alter timing, shorten extension, or unconsciously protect against discomfort. The outcome can be lower bat speed, poorer contact locations and a reduced ability to square pitches out over the plate — exactly what Betts experienced, reflected in a .258 season and a sharp drop in home run production.
Why a new approach After a late-season rebound and the boost of the Dodgers’ postseason success, Betts did not revert to a default program. He instead experimented with Yamamoto’s trainer’s exercises, indicating a willingness to target balance, core integration and throwing mechanics in novel ways. The goal: restore the kinetic chain’s efficiency so that force production once again culminates in high exit velocities.
What those drills actually target: mechanics, not gimmicks
The visible elements of Betts’ new routine were simple: carrying another human across a field while moving in controlled patterns, and using a long, lightweight implement during throwing-accuracy work. The purpose behind both is specific and biomechanically plausible.
Human carries and core integration A heavy-carry drill — for example, shouldering a trainer and moving in various planes — loads the hips, spine and shoulder girdle in a combined, multi-planar fashion. Unlike isolated core exercises (planks, crunches), carries require stabilization under load while the body moves. That recruits:
- Anti-rotation strength: resistive torque that keeps the torso aligned while lower and upper segments produce opposing forces.
- Hip stability and glute activation: control of pelvis orientation critical for lower-half drive during a swing.
- Scapular and shoulder stabilization: relevant for a powerful, repeatable bat path and for maintaining throwing mechanics.
Carrying a live weight versus a dumbbell stresses balance due to micro-shifts in load as the carried person adjusts rhythmically. That forces continuous neuromuscular corrections, which improve proprioception — the body’s ability to sense position and movement. For hitters who rely on precise timing and consistent posture during a 100–120 millisecond swing window, improved proprioception matters.
Broom-handle “javelin” drills and motor patterning Using a long stick as a javelin during throwing or alignment drills serves several functions when applied to position players:
- Kinesthetic cueing: the long implement highlights the spine angle, arm slot and release point. Players can feel whether their shoulders are tilting or whether their torso is rotating correctly.
- Decoupling of power and accuracy: swinging a broom handle is lighter than a baseball, so the emphasis shifts to rhythm and alignment, not force. That can reset the movement pattern before players reintroduce full-weight throws.
- Transfer to batting: throwing and hitting share rotational demands. Improving the sequencing of hip-shoulder separation and arm positioning translates into a more efficient swing.
These drills are not a substitute for traditional strength work or for hundreds of quality swing repetitions. Instead, they are corrective tools for neuromuscular patterns that may have been disrupted by illness, weight loss or compensatory habits.
How core strength, balance and proprioception map to hitting performance
Producing a 100+ mph exit velocity requires more than raw arm strength or bat speed generated solely from the shoulders. A hitter’s power is the product of an orchestrated chain: ground reaction force, hip rotation, torso separation, shoulder and wrist action, and finally bat–ball contact. Disruption at any link reduces the output at the end of the chain.
Ground reaction and lower-body drive The swing begins with the legs. Force generated against the ground must travel up through stable hips. If a hitter’s lower half collapses due to poor hip stability or fatigue, the transfer of energy is dissipated. Core carries that tax hip abductors, glutes and the posterior chain reinforce the ability to transfer ground-reaction force into rotational power.
Hip-shoulder separation and torso rotation The differential between hip rotation and shoulder rotation — hip-shoulder separation — is a primary determinant of torque in the swing. Exercises that increase anti-rotation capacity enable hitters to create and then explosively release that separation. Carries performed with an offset load (the trainer placed to one side, for instance) force the obliques and deep trunk musculature to resist unwanted rotation until the correct phase of the movement.
Proprioception and timing Hitting is as much timing as it is strength. Accurate proprioception—knowing where the hands, wrists, and body are in space—lets hitters consistently arrive at a favorable contact point. Training that challenges stability while preserving movement patterns (such as walking carries with uneven load and broom-handle cadence drills) effectively retrains sensory feedback loops that guide timing.
Hand path and deceleration The final segment of power production resides in the hands and wrists. If the earlier parts of the chain deliver poor input, the hands must compensate, often shortening the swing path. Re-establishing coordinated sequencing ensures the hands can operate within their optimal strike window and generate peak angular velocity at impact.
Why weight loss matters for power hitters
A nearly 20-pound loss during a critical preparatory period is not trivial. The change affects more than the number on the scale.
Absolute mass and momentum Mass matters in collisions. A heavier hitter who maintains speed carries more momentum into the swing, aiding exit velocity. Losing mass reduces the available momentum unless bat speed increases to compensate. That compensation is possible but requires targeted neuromuscular improvements and strength restoration.
Muscle fiber composition and force output Acute weight loss often includes the loss of lean tissue. Losing type II muscle fiber quality or cross-sectional area reduces maximal force production and explosiveness. Rebuilding those fibers requires progressive overload, adequate protein intake and time.
Energy systems and endurance Gastrointestinal illness alters nutrient absorption. Even after symptoms resolve, residual deficits in glycogen stores, micronutrients and hydration can undermine training quality. Hitting consistency over a season depends on the ability to maintain repeated high-power outputs, which rely on well-refueled energy systems.
Swing timing and confidence Physical change also shifts timing. A hitter who feels lighter may shorten stride or alter hand position as a subconscious adjustment to feel balanced. These micro-changes can cascade into poorer contact and lower launch angles. Restoring physical confidence is as much about perception as it is about strength.
Neuromuscular reprogramming: why unconventional drills can succeed
Conventional strength training—squats, deadlifts, bench—builds capacity. Skill-specific drills build skill. The gap that often remains is the translation of gym strength into coordinated, high-speed actions in sport-specific contexts. That’s where the exercises Betts is trying fit in.
Specificity of overload Traditional gym lifts are bilateral and linear. Hitting is unilateral and rotational. Overloading in the pattern of the sport—carrying an asymmetrical load while moving through rotation—applies stress in the exact plane and timing that the swing requires.
Eccentric control and rate of force development Many unconventional drills force the body to slow and control momentum while under load. That eccentric control improves the ability to absorb and redirect forces during a swing. Faster athletes win the race of force application; eccentric training can elevate rate of force development by training muscles to withstand high-speed lengthening and then produce explosive shortening.
Motor pattern simplification Using a broom handle for throwing or alignment simplifies the task to its core components: stance, spine angle, arm slot. Without the distraction of grip pressure, seam orientation or ball weight, athletes focus on the essential pattern. That clarity often produces faster neuroplasticity and retention of corrected mechanics.
Cross-modal transfer Throwing drills improve the proprioceptive map of the shoulder girdle and torso rotation. Those improvements transfer to batting because the CNS (central nervous system) generalizes efficient rotational patterns across related tasks. The broom-handle drill is not about warming up to throw; it is a targeted cueing method for alignment, rhythm and release timing.
What the Dodgers and other teams gain from cross-pollination
Professional teams are increasingly open to cross-pollination of training methods across positions and even sports. Yamamoto, a pitcher with a distinct regimen, influenced Betts, an elite position player. The Dodgers’ willingness to share training resources reflects a broader approach to marginal gains.
Shared movement literacy Players watching and trying teammates’ drills build a common movement vocabulary. That can accelerate onboarding of young players and harmonize strength staff messaging. A trainer who develops a carry pattern for a pitcher can adapt it for a hitter with different load and progression parameters.
Risk mitigation through shared oversight When players experiment under the supervision of other teams’ trainers, the shared oversight can reduce the chance of misapplication. Dodgers’ medical and performance staff likely evaluated Betts’ exposure to new drills, adjusting volume and sequencing to his existing workload and health history.
Organizational learning Teams that encourage measured experimentation harvest data. Tracking outcomes—exit velocity, contact quality, injury incidence—lets clubs iterate quickly. A robust performance culture benefits when innovations spread horizontally rather than being siloed by position.
Measuring success: metrics that matter
A training intervention is only as useful as its measurable outcomes. For Betts, the following metrics will indicate whether Yamamoto-style drills produce the desired effect.
Exit velocity and peak bat speed A return toward his historical exit velocity distribution would be the clearest sign of regained power potential. Peak bat speed, measured during controlled tests, should track with exit velocity increases.
Hard-hit percentage and launch-angle distribution An increase in hard-hit ball percentage (the share of batted balls over a certain mph threshold) and a re-centering of launch-angle distribution toward Betts’ normative values would show improved contact quality and swing mechanics.
Consistency of contact location Centralized contact locations on the bat’s sweet spot, tracked via hit charts and video analysis, demonstrate restored timing. Motor pattern stability manifests in repeatable contact locations.
Durability and perceived exertion A subjective but critical measure is Betts’ reported sense of stability, confidence and fatigue levels across workouts and games. Reduced musculoskeletal soreness, fewer compensatory movements on video and improved recovery between sessions are important outcomes.
Kinetic chain sequencing analysis Using motion-capture or high-speed video to measure hip-shoulder separation timing and rotational velocity provides biomechanical evidence of improved sequencing. Ideally, hips initiate and drive rotation with shoulders following in an efficient cascade.
Potential benefits short-term and long-term
Short-term gains
- Improved proprioception and balance can quickly enhance timing and contact location, sometimes within weeks.
- Neuromuscular reprogramming can yield immediate increases in bat speed as inefficient compensatory patterns are corrected.
- Psychological benefits from trying a new approach can boost confidence and engagement, measurable in practice habits and on-field demeanor.
Long-term gains
- Rebuilt muscle mass and targeted rotational strength can restore and potentially enhance prior power metrics.
- Greater resilience to perturbations — in-game off-balance swings, late-night travel fatigue — due to improved stability and motor control.
- Prolonged offensive effectiveness if the intervention becomes part of a sustainable maintenance program.
Risks and limitations to watch
Overuse injuries and joint stress Novel loading patterns present unfamiliar stresses. Carrying an uneven, dynamic human load can strain the lumbar spine if core bracing is inadequate. Similarly, broom-handle drills, if performed with reckless speed, can overload the shoulder’s anterior capsule.
Misapplication without progression The drills must be scaled appropriately. Sudden increases in volume or intensity risk tendon or muscle overload. They should follow a progressive plan that accounts for prior injury history and current strength levels.
Neglect of swing-specific reps Unconventional drills are corrective, not replacements. If a player spends too little time on swing mechanics and live at-bats while overemphasizing auxiliary drills, game-readiness may suffer.
Measuring placebo effects Short-term gains driven by increased attention, novelty or placebo responses may not persist. Objective metrics are necessary to separate true physiological adaptation from temporary performance bumps.
Case studies and comparable examples from sports
Cross-disciplinary training is common among elite athletes. While specific names and programs vary, the pattern is consistent: when an elite performer hits a plateau, the answer often lies in re-integrating movement rather than increasing raw loads.
Pitchers adopting positional drills Pitchers have borrowed agility and balance drills from soccer and basketball to improve landing stability and deceleration mechanics. That same borrowing can occur in reverse: position players adopt mobility and stability work from pitchers to improve sequencing.
Combat athletes and rotational training Combat sports athletes use anti-rotation and carry drills to control force transfer and generate rotation safely. Those exercises mirror the objective of the human-carry: manage asymmetrical loads under movement.
Weight-room adaptation in aging players Veteran athletes across sports replace maximal squat-heavy programs with unilateral, stability-focused plans to reduce joint pain while preserving force output. Betts’ shift toward carries and motor pattern drills reflects a similar strategy.
These comparisons underline a common truth: when training becomes narrowly concentrated on a few traditional lifts, movement quality and transfer often suffer. Addressing that gap can unlock sustainable gains.
How coaches and players can implement similar work safely
Assessment first Begin with a thorough movement screen. Identify deficits in hip mobility, single-leg balance, trunk rotation and shoulder range of motion. Baseline metrics help individualize progressions.
Progressive loading Start with unloaded patterning: bodyweight gait drills with exaggerated rotation, broom-handle alignment work without added weight. Progress to light implements and finally to loaded human carries or offsets.
Control over spectacle Drills that look dramatic should not be prioritized for visibility. Their purpose is corrective. Limit their frequency—two to three focused sessions per week paired with sufficient recovery—and measure results.
Complementary strength work Maintain a foundation of bilateral strength: squats, deadlifts and hip-hinge variations preserve absolute capacity. Layer sport-specific carries and rotational work on top of that base.
Nutrition and recovery Rebuilding from illness requires targeted nutrition to support muscle protein synthesis and replenish glycogen. A registered dietitian or team nutritionist should set caloric and macro targets, and monitor micronutrients critical for muscle function and recovery.
Video feedback and objective metrics Use high-speed video and wearable sensors to evaluate sequencing and bat speed. Set data-driven KPIs (key performance indicators) for exit velocity, peak bat speed, and hard-hit rate.
Medical oversight Coordinate with athletic trainers and sports physicians. If exercises produce pain beyond expected soreness, stop and reassess. Imaging or diagnostic testing may be necessary to rule out underlying issues.
What to expect timeline-wise
Neuromuscular changes can appear within weeks; structural changes (muscle hypertrophy, tendon adaptation) take months. Expect a phased timeline:
- Weeks 1–3: improved proprioception, slight increases in bat speed due to reduced constraints.
- Weeks 4–8: better contact location and consistency; early signs of improved exit velocity.
- Months 2–6: measurable gains in power indices if strength, nutrition and recovery are aligned.
- Season-level results: sustained improvement requires maintenance work and in-season load management.
Athletes and staff should mentally plan for incremental gains rather than instant, dramatic returns.
Evaluating whether Betts is “declining” or recalibrating
Labeling a player’s trajectory as decline or adjustment oversimplifies a complex process. Betts is 33, an age where many players experience fluctuations in power, but not necessarily irreversible decline. The key question is whether his training, nutrition and recovery can restore his prior force-production capacity.
Indicators of decline would be persistent drops in exit velocity, decreased hard-contact rates, and ongoing mechanical breakdowns despite appropriate interventions. Indicators of successful recalibration include a return of peak exit velocities, improved launch-angle consistency, and consistent feel reported by the player.
Given Betts’ history of elite output and his proactive approach to addressing deficits, the safer characterization is that he is recalibrating. The choice to experiment with Yamamoto’s methods reflects targeted problem-solving rather than resignation.
Broader implications for player development and team practice culture
Betts’ move typifies two trends in modern baseball: the breakdown of rigid positional training silos and the embrace of movement-based problem-solving. Young players observing established stars experiment with novel modalities will feel greater license to address functional limitations creatively.
Teams that foster safe experimentation while maintaining rigorous measurement protocols will gain an advantage. The challenge for organizations is balancing curiosity with precaution—encouraging innovation without exposing players to unnecessary risk.
Final perspective: adaptation, measurement and persistence
The images of Mookie Betts carrying a human load and practicing with a broom handle are striking because they look different from traditional baseball offseason media clips. The substance behind them is conventional sports science: restore balance, rebuild rotational sequencing, and retrain motor patterns disrupted by illness and emotional upheaval.
Success will depend not on the novelty of the drills but on careful integration with a comprehensive program—progressive strength training, specific skill work, precise nutrition and recovery, and ongoing objective measurement. If those elements align, Betts can reasonably expect to regain much of his prior power profile. If they do not, the experiment will at least provide diagnostic clarity: what part of the kinetic chain failed and which interventions mattered least.
Baseball careers are a long conversation between adaptation and attrition. Betts has shifted the topic by addressing root causes rather than symptoms. The next chapters will be written in hard-hit ball metrics and the small, repeatable moments that define elite hitting: a confident stride, a stable posture, an effortless transfer of force and the satisfying crack of the bat.
FAQ
Q: What exactly did Mookie Betts do in these drills? A: He was filmed carrying Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s trainer on his shoulders while moving in choreographed directions to challenge balance and core stabilization. He also participated in throwing-accuracy drills using a long stick (a broom handle) to cue alignment and timing. These exercises focus on anti-rotation strength, hip stability and proprioceptive feedback rather than isolated strength.
Q: How can carrying someone on your shoulders help hitting power? A: The human-carry is a multi-planar, dynamic load that forces continuous stabilizing contractions of the core, hips and shoulder girdle. That stability supports more efficient hip-shoulder separation and force transfer, prerequisites for high bat speed and exit velocity. The carry also challenges single-leg balance during steps or directional changes, improving the foundation of rotational power.
Q: Are these drills a substitute for weight-room training? A: No. They are complementary. Strength training builds the capacity to produce force; movement-specific drills ensure that capacity transfers into sport-specific actions. Both are necessary. The carries and broom-handle work aim to bridge the gap between strength and skill.
Q: Could these drills prevent or cause injury? A: When properly supervised and progressed, they can reduce injury risk by improving stability and movement quality. When applied without appropriate progression, they can introduce abnormal stress, particularly to the lower back and shoulders. Medical and performance staff oversight is essential.
Q: How quickly might someone see results from this kind of training? A: Neuromuscular improvements—better timing and proprioception—can appear within weeks. Structural gains, such as muscle hypertrophy and tendon adaptation, take months. Sustainable increases in exit velocity and hit quality typically require a few months of integrated work.
Q: Is Betts’ decline permanent because of age? A: Age alone does not determine a player’s future. Many veteran hitters adjust training, nutrition and mechanics to preserve or recover power. Betts’ proactive approach suggests recalibration rather than irreversible decline. Objective metrics across the early season will reveal whether the intervention restores his prior performance envelope.
Q: What metrics should be tracked to assess whether the drills are working? A: Exit velocity, peak bat speed, hard-hit percentage, launch-angle distribution, contact-location consistency, and biomechanical measures like hip-shoulder separation timing. Subjective measures—sleep quality, perceived stability and confidence—are also valuable.
Q: Can amateur players safely try similar drills? A: Yes, with caveats. Amateurs should begin with basic progressions guided by a qualified coach or trainer, ensure adequate baseline strength and mobility, and avoid heavy or high-volume human carries until they have built foundational stability. Prioritize technique and safety over spectacle.
Q: What role does nutrition play in a recovery like Betts’? A: A central role. Replenishing lost mass and restoring muscle requires targeted caloric intake, adequate protein for muscle repair, and attention to micronutrients that support energy metabolism. Gastrointestinal illness can disrupt absorption, so nutritionists should monitor recovery closely.
Q: How will the Dodgers monitor Betts’ progress? A: Likely through a combination of in-house performance metrics (Rapsodo/HitTrax data, bat sensors), video analysis, strength and conditioning benchmarks, and medical assessments. Frequent check-ins and incremental progression will guide workload adjustments.
Q: If you’re a coach, how do you decide whether to introduce such drills? A: Assess the athlete’s movement deficits, injury history and current workload. Pilot drills in low-risk environments, collect baseline and follow-up data, and integrate the work into a broader plan that includes strength, skill repetition and recovery strategies.
Q: What is the most important takeaway from Betts’ experimentation? A: Addressing the root mechanical and neuromuscular issues that underlie a performance drop is more effective than chasing isolated metrics. When elite athletes combine thoughtful innovation with rigorous measurement and medical oversight, they maximize the chance of a timely and sustainable rebound.
