Face of the MLB

We know the face of the NBA is Lebron James. We know the face of the NFL is Patrick Mahomes. We know the face of the NHL is Sidney Crosby. However, it's a bit more of a convoluted situation as to who the face of the MLB is.

Magic Johnson, part owner of the Dodgers, dominated the NBA throughout the 80's. Ironically, Magic never averaged more than 24 points per game in any regular full season during his career. In contrast, Michael Jordan never averaged less than 26 points per game in any regular full season throughout his career, unless you count his stint with the Washington Wizards. How does this have anything to do with baseball? Well, Magic and Jordan were the models of excellency by making their teammates better. In that regard, Mookie Betts and those two are synonymous with one another.

Magic was able to transcend the sport of basketball and help grow its popularity worldwide. To grow the sport of basketball he needed the assistance of his teammates, but more importantly an equal and opposite rival. Magic Johnson has been tied at the hip to Larry Bird since their first meeting in the NCAA National Championship in 1979. Throughout the next decade Magic would hoist the NBA Championship 5-times, while Bird hoisted the trophy 3-times. Between 1980 and 1989, the two would square off in the finals three separate times. This created a contentious rivalry, but more importantly a marketing opportunity for the NBA.

Again, how does this pertain to baseball? Many believe Mookie Betts is the best player in the league after his performance this postseason. However, this will always be met with skepticism due to the brilliance of Mike Trout. Trout has been dominant since his arrival in the big leagues in 2011. Up until this point Mookie and Trout haven't had the postseason clashes that Bird and Magic have had, but it's still fun to compare their careers side by side.

Below are numbers beginning from Mookie's first full season in the MLB (2015):

Regular Season:

By analyzing the data it's clear how similar these players are. Trout has been superior in home runs and walks, while Betts has totaled more hits. Factor in Betts four gold gloves to Trout's zero, and you can make an argument he's a better all around player.

To this point, the biggest differentiator between Betts and Trout are their postseason opportunities. It's hard not to have theoretical questions when it comes to the two. How would Trout fare if he were on those Red Sox or Dodger teams instead of Betts? Would Trout's numbers be better with more opportunities? Anyways, here's the look at each's postseason numbers:

Postseason:

What does this all mean?

It's universally considered that Trout is the best player on the planet. I'm not going against that notion, but it's closer than many believe. Would Magic or Bird be held in such high regard if they rarely made the playoffs? The answer is unequivocally no.

As great as Betts is, it's his postseason pedigree that puts him into the conversating for the 'Face of Baseball.' To be in consideration for this honor a player must exhibit the 6-tools that differentiate a great player from an all-time player.

Tool One: Hitting

In the Wild Card and Division Series, he demonstrated the first tool by hitting for a combined batting average of .381 while totaling 12 bases.

Tool Two: Hitting for power

Leading up to the World Series he had one career postseason home run. During this World Series, he came up with two huge home runs with one of them being in the deciding game 6.

Tool Three: Speed

There were numerous instances this postseason that Mookie turned a routine groundball into an infield single. Once on the basebaths, he was a threat to steal or go from first to third/home on hit. This postseason alone he was able to steal 6 bases with 4 of those being in the World Series.

Tool Four: Fielding

Mookie single handedly kept the Dodgers from being eliminated in the NLCS. In game 5, he made the shoestring catch with the ability to throw home to double up Ozuna, who left the bag early. In game 6, he then proceed to rob Ozuna of extra bases by leaping at the wall. Lastly, and probably biggest of them all, he robbed Freeman of a homerun with his team up by one run in the deciding game 7. Each of these plays were game saving and potentially season saving.

Tool Five: Throwing Ability

Runners were too scared to challenge his arm this postseason. The only person to do so was Ozuna and we know the result of that.

Tool Six: Mental Approach and Stability

This tool is typically unknown to the common baseball fan. This is the mental makeup of a player. We already know Betts is one of the smartest players in the league. In game 1, he sat at 3rd base with the Dodgers up one run in the 5th inning. With the infield playing in Muncy topped a harmless ball to Yandy Diaz at first, who proceeded to throw home and attempt to cutdown Mookie at the plate. Not only was Mookie safe, but this play changed the whole complexion of the game, as the Dodgers went on to score 3 more runs that inning. None of this occurs without Mookie having a great secondary lead, great instincts and blazing speed. Fast forward to Game 6 and the same exact play occurred as in Game 1. Ground ball to first, Mookie breaks for home and beats the throw by Choi. This run ended up being the game winning run, and helped deliver the Dodgers their first championship in 32 seasons.

How the MLB should market this?

This season was peculiar all the way to the end. As a fan, you knew something was up when Justin Turner was substituted in the middle of a closeout World Series game. We now know he tested positive for COVID-19. There's no other way to characterize this ending as a nightmare for a league that had previously gone 50+ days without a positive test. After such a tumultuous season the MLB needs to reimage itself, and Mookie and Trout should be at the top of the list in doing so.

Mike Trout and Mookie Betts play in one of the largest markets in the world. This makes for an amazing opportunity the MLB must act upon. The amount of talent baseball misses out on compared to other North American sports is troubling. I believe the MLB should utilize the two best players in the world similarly to how the NBA marketed Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Their rivalry was intense, but it was their similarities and differences that appealed to fans. Both were great competitors and ambassadors for the sport with contrasting backgrounds. This could be a perfect opportunity to bring Mike Trout and Mookie Betts together in a new marketing campaign for a league in desperate need.

The MLB should strike while the iron is hot and utilize the Betts and Trout like Magic and Bird.

The MLB could look to commercials like the NBA did:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmkwzqG4How (shoutout to converse).