Bellinger caps turnaround with top honor
LOS ANGELES — A year ago, Cody Bellinger was embarrassed and angry. He had tumbled from the Dodgers’ freshest rookie sensation in 2017 to a platoon role by the end of the next season. He struggled against lefthanded pitchers and couldn’t find answers.
“It was a very humbling experience for personal reasons,” Bellinger said, “and I knew that wasn’t the player that I wanted to be.”
On Thursday, different feelings enveloped the slugger once he was announced as the winner of the National League Most Valuable Player Award surrounded by family and friends. There was elation. There was satisfaction. And when he hugged his father, Clay, there were tears.
“It’s just a dream come true, man,” Bellinger said. “You play the game as a kid, you dream of it, but you literally never think that it’s going to be you in this position.”
Bellinger, 24, became the 12th Dodger to win the MVP award. He is the Dodgers’ first MVP since Clayton Kershaw in 2014 and their first position player to win the award since Kirk Gibson in 1988.
He received 19 of the 30 firstplace votes, 10 second-place votes, and a fifth-place vote. Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Christian Yelich, the previous NL MVP, finished second and was given 10 first-place votes. Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon was third. He received the other first-place vote.
Bellinger made his case for the honor from opening day. He was hearing the MVP chants by the end of his historic April, and they continued through the summer’s conclusion. He received them at Dodger Stadium and on the road throughout the country. They were loud and constant, an echoing sound to the season as the Dodgers plowed their way to a franchise-record 106 wins with Bellinger as a dynamic force in the middle of their lineup.
The two-time All-Star batted .305 with 47 home runs, 115 RBIs, 15 stolen bases, and a 1.035 OPS in 156 games. He was issued a league-leading 21 intentional walks and provided elite defense at three positions — right field, center field, and first base. He also won a Gold Glove as a right fielder and a Silver Slugger Award. He is the fourth player to win MVP, Rookie of the Year, and a Gold Glove before the age of 25, joining Johnny Bench, Fred Lynn and Dustin Pedroia.
“There wasn’t one part of his game he didn’t dominate,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said in a statement.
The season did not come without struggles. Bellinger was batting over.400 until May 21, but was a .263 hitter in his final 109 regular-season games as opponents adjusted and pitched around him more frequently though he still posted an All-Starlevel .935 OPS. He went four for 19 with seven strikeouts and two walks in the Dodgers’ five playoff games.
Bellinger cooling off opened the door for Yelich to potentially win the MVP award for the second straight season.
Yelich bested Bellinger in most offensive statistical categories, including batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, but a season-ending knee injury in September hurt his candidacy in the two-man race. He finished with a .329 batting average, 44 home runs, and a 1.100 OPS in 130 games.
Rendon, a free agent, batted .319 with 34 homers, 126 RBIs and a 1.010 OPS in 146 games.