On mornings at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, Mookie Betts and the rest of the Dodgers' infielders could be seen on the practice field as they rolled the ball over and over again, passing to first base again and again.

While Bates has been preparing for a return to shortstop in the offseason, this week is the first opportunity in baseball to get a glimpse of his progress.

Bates switched to guerrilla defense in the middle of spring training last year, a move that was partly out of necessity. His most recent appearance as a shortstop in a major league game was on June 16 of last year, when he was hit by a touch ball that fractured his left hand and was sidelined for nearly two months. When he returned, he returned to right field, where he won the Golden Glove award six times.

'He obviously felt he had an unfinished business,' said head coach Dave Roberts, "and he went back to right field because it was the right decision given our squad at the time. But I do feel ...... He wants to give himself the best chance to become a top fighter in the shortstop position. ”

Last season, Bates spoke candidly about the difficulty of switching to the Shortstops. He was excellent in defensive range and showed some good instincts, but struggled with passing. In the 531.1 shortstop defense, eight of Bates' nine turnovers were pass errors.

Veteran infielder Miguel Rojas has been helping Bates improve his shortstop abilities. The two kept in touch throughout the offseason and sometimes practiced together, and Rojas also taught him a lot of expertise about the shortstop position, which he played the most in his major league career.

In translating Bates' powerful outfield passing arm power into an inside pass, Rojas said the key is to find the right angle for the pass, depending on where he passes the ball in the infield. Understanding these differences can help the other pieces fall into place.

"He looks more comfortable," Rojas said, "especially in terms of passing...... It's important to find the right angle for your pass because you are in a different position than when you are in the right field. He doesn't pass the ball too high or too low now. ”

In this year's spring training, whenever Bates passed the ball from the shortstop position, he looked very confident. It's been a while since he last tested his shortstop skills in a competition, but each low-stress repetition builds muscle memory and prepares him for action.

"He's improved two notches in his performance," Roberts said. "Both in action and in confidence. There was some uncertainty last year, and rightfully so. But now his confidence is very high. ”

If Bates not only succeeds in the shortstop position, but excels, he will enter an unprecedented field. Only two players have won the Golden Glove in multiple positions: Darin Erstad and Placido Polanco. Eustard is the only player to have won the Golden Glove Award as both an infielder and an outfielder.

Bates never shy away from a challenge, and he may pursue an accomplishment to cement his legendary status as a major league player. But he also made it clear that he thinks achieving great things with the team is the most rewarding.

"It's definitely not the same," Bates said. "But I'm just doing what's best for the team, what I think is best for the team. If it's here, it's here. If it's the right fielder, the middle fielder, it doesn't matter. I feel like I'm a baseball player and as long as I wear gloves, I'm going to do well. ”