IN THE SWING
WITH AN ADJUSTMENT TO HIS SWING, CODY BELLINGER IS POSTING A SEASON THAT WOULD MAKE BABE RUTH PROUD
When most baseball fans think of a five-tool star player who suits up for his team in Southern California, the name Mike Trout probably comes to mind. And while that certainly is understandable, considering Trout is a once-in-a-generation talent, he’s not the only player making headlines in the shadow of Hollywood Hills. The Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger is doing plenty of that himself this season. So much so that entering June there was not only talk of an MVP season, but a potential Triple Crown, too, something that has happened just once in 52 years (Miguel Cabrera in 2012) and not in the National League since Joe “Ducky” Medwick did it way back in 1937. Bellinger led the NL in RBI and batting average as the calendar flipped from May to June, and was just one home run off the lead.
Indeed, at 23, Bellinger, in his third season in L.A., is
starting to draw comparisons to Ted Williams because of the long and lean body type, his elegant left-handed swing, and his scary hitting talents. In a recent piece on Forbes.com, contributor Howard Cole wrote a piece whose headline read, “Comparing Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger to Ted Williams, circa 1941.”
Here’s the deal; Bellinger is good. Very good. No, make that great. He’s become one of the game’s best players with a seemingly nightly assault on the NL home run mark and an arm that often puts him among ESPN’s Top 10 Plays of the Week.
Entering this season, Bellinger was recognized as an all star-caliber player, but not the biggest star in L.A. – that was Trout with the Angels. Of course now, as he is in the middle of a season for the ages, Bellinger is the talk of Tinseltown.
So what is the difference between the Bellinger of 2018 and this year’s slugger?
“I’d have to say the biggest thing that I’ve accomplished this year is finding a base in my swing and making adjust
ments from that base,” Bellinger told Jim Hill of KCAL CBS Los Angeles. “In spring training you kind of make it your own thing, you try to find your rhythm and what kind of works for you and what doesn’t work for you.”
Let’s get back to that arm in the outfield. To illustrate his defensive ability, Bellinger, playing right field, recently threw out Washington’s Stephen Strasburg who hit an apparent single to right. Bellinger gunned him out at first base with a 93-mph bullet. These days, few on the base paths dare challenge Bellinger.
“I know it’s early and there’s a lot of baseball to be played. But I just can’t see anybody playing a better right field than Cody,” Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts said after the mid-May game against the Nationals. “You’re talking about a Gold Glove. How long he is, how fast he is, the arm strength, the plays he made throwing guys out at third and the play today. You don’t see many nine-to-threes on the scorecard.”
But it’s still the bat that has garnered most of the attention. Take for example what he did in April. It’s legendary. He put together one of the most incredible Aprils in baseball history.
Bellinger set new marks (for games prior to May 1) for RBI (37), base hits (47) and total bases (97). He also tied the record for most home
runs (14) as well as runs scored (32.) During the month, he also led the majors in batting average (.431), on-base percentage (.508), slugging percentage (.890) and OPS (1.397). Not surprisingly, he was named the Player of the Month for April.
“I would just say it’s understanding how to use your swing, just trying to stay within myself in the cage every day and repeat what I’m doing,” Bellinger told the Los Angeles Times in reference to his torrid hitting. “Just not trying to do too much.”
Without trying to do too much, Bellinger is doing much. So where did this guy come from? That might be a question some fans have asked, especially those who rarely watch games played on the West Coast.
Bellinger is an Arizona kid, having graduated from Hamilton High School in Chandler. During his Little League days, his team advanced to the World Series in 2007. That success was a sign of things to come. Of course, it does help to have the bloodlines, too. Bellinger’s father, Clay, spent four seasons in the big leagues as an infielder/outfielder with the Angels and the New York Yankees (from 1999-2002). In his career, he totaled 12 home runs (two less than his son hit in the month of April.)
Cody Bellinger was big-time in high school. In fact, remember that throw he made to get Strasburg out at first? His arm strength is similar to a pitcher’s. When he was still in high school, he played in a national tournament and tossed a complete-game four-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts.
Upon graduating from high school in 2013, Bellinger was drafted by the Dodgers in the fourth round, signing for a $700,000 bonus. He quickly moved through the minor leagues and eventually reached Triple-A in 2017, playing the first three weeks of the season there until getting the call to Los Angeles where he made his major league debut April 25. That night he went 1-for-3 against the San Francisco Giants. At that point, nothing was going to slow him down. Bellinger went on to win Rookie of the Year honors in 2017 after batting .267 with 39 home runs, 97 RBI, and posting a .581 slugging percentage. He ended up ninth in the National League MVP voting. Not bad at all for having opened the season in the minors.
In 2018, he didn’t have the same power numbers, but he still hit .260 with 25 HR and 76 RBI. He did end up being named MVP of the National League Championship Series after the Dodgers eliminated the Milwaukee Brewers to advance to the World Series.
And now, a little more than two years after his debut, Bellinger just keeps getting better, pounding the ball and playing Gold Glove-caliber outfield. Talks of a potential Triple Crown still come up from time to time.
Even if he didn’t win the Triple Crown, but still finished among the best hitters in the National League while his Dodgers team reached the World Series again, would be enough to thrill Bellinger.
Not only would he be thrilled, but he’d also be the NL MVP, too.