Shortly after Mookie Betts was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers last year, he stood in front of his new teammates inside the Camelback Ranch clubhouse and delivered an impassioned speech about the necessary focus to win a World Series.
The Dodgers had of course been in the midst of seven consecutive National League West titles and made two trips to the World Series over that span but fallen short each time. The most recent of those losses in the Fall Classic was to Betts and the Boston Red Sox in 2018.
Betts’ message was well-received, and along with Justin Turner, a kangaroo court fine system was implemented during Spring Training.