The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Dodgers see Bellinger making some progress
GLENDALE, ARIZ. >> As deep and potent as the Dodgers expect their every-day lineup to be this season, it should give them room to absorb the struggles of one individual — namely Cody Bellinger.
“The plan is to have him performing not to absorb any struggles,” Dodgers hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc said Thursday. “So we’re going to plan on that and then where that goes.”
It has gone so poorly in spring training that Van Scoyoc, fellow hitting coach Brant Brown and manager Dave Roberts all referred to Wednesday night’s game as “a really good night” for Bellinger — he had a bloop single, a hard ground ball and a not-so-hard ground ball.
“I think ‘progressing’ is the word,” Roberts said. “We’ve got to continue to log at-bats to make him feel as comfortable as possible when the season starts . ... It’s a work in progress.”
Much of that work falls into the purview of Van Scoyoc and Brown. Both referred to Bellinger’s surgically-repaired right shoulder as a factor in the outfielder’s poor 2021 and a spring that has so far seen him strike out 17 times in 27 Cactus League at-bats — even though that surgery took place nearly 17 months ago.
“The right shoulder is strong again, but also, it’s ... just tighter than it was because it used to pop out,” Brown said. “That’s kind of why this process is kind of going through what it is, because he’s just trying to find his body.”
That isn’t the most obvious search. Bellinger’s attempts to settle on a setup, stance and swing for longer than a week have been the most visible element of his spring.
“Belli operates fast and we want to support him,” Brown said of the frequency with which Bellinger adopts and then discards changes. “So we come up with an assessment together. And we’re honest with one another. At the end of the day, our goals need to be aligned.
DODGERS GAMEBOX
THE GAME:
We try to assist in every way possible.”
But wouldn’t Bellinger be better off picking one set of swing mechanics and sticking with it?
“It’s a tough question,” Brown said. “I mean, we want him to be the best. He wants himself to be the best. Whether or not we’re doing things on a daily basis is just because he’s really trying to navigate on what his feels are. And sometimes we all know a hitter’s feels will deceive them.
“All hitters have a tendency of overdoing it. And you still feel like it’s the same. It’s like when you go see your nephew and you haven’t seen him in six months. It’s, ‘Oh my god, you grew three inches.’ He doesn’t think he grew an inch. He’s always looking at himself in the mirror. It’s just navigating through that process and trying to be more in tune with what the real is versus the feel. We have seen some progress. We thought last night was a really good night for him. I think we’re going to try to keep on that plan and then kind of integrate some things slowly that could also be an advantage to him.”
Van Scoyoc acknowledged that “the goal is to kind of get a consistent routine and process and find something that sticks and stick to it and not bounce around.” But that is easier said than done when the results aren’t providing positive feedback.
“If he wants to experiment, he’s his own person and if he comes up with a thought, he has a right to try that,” Van Scoyoc said. “It’s his swing, his career, and we’ve got to be there to help and support him even if you don’t necessarily think that’s the right thing at that moment. It’s his swing, and he drives that.”
Bellinger did not play in Thursday’s Cactus League game. Instead, he was scheduled to take several at-bats in a minor-league camp game.
“I think where we’re at right now is — he’s healthy, he’s strong,” Roberts said. “Is there an adjustment, a recalibration with the body? Yes. But at the end of the day, we still have to find something that works, that is consistent, that gives him the best chance to be the best hitter he can be to help us win games.”
Freeman series
Orange County native Freddie Freeman is looking forward to making his Southern California debut in a Dodgers uniform in the Freeway Series opener at Angel Stadium on Sunday night.
“There might be a whole section,” Freeman said of the friends and family members he expects to attend. “They haven’t gotten to see me. I’ve only played at Angel Stadium once in my career. That was 2011. We (the Braves) went in 2017, but I had broken my wrist (and wasn’t playing). So it’s been a while since anyone could come to my game. A lot of family members didn’t come up to Dodger Stadium because it’s hard to get in and out, a lot of traffic. It can take three hours from Orange County to get there. Yeah, Angel Stadium is going to be a big one.
“Any time you grow up in a place and you can have any of your family members who want to come out come out it’s always special. It doesn’t matter if it’s a spring training game or not. It’s still fun.”
Not now
Eddy Alvarez has been one of the Dodgers’ better hitters this spring, going 8 for 23 (.348) with three home runs (tied with Edwin Rios for the team lead). Alvarez is a switch-hitter capable of playing multiple positions. But Hanser Alberto was signed to fill that utility role and Roberts acknowledged a three-week spring training is not long enough for someone like Alvarez to “win a job.”
“I don’t see him breaking camp with us and I think he knew that coming in,” Roberts said of Alvarez, who signed a minor-league contract with a non-roster invitation to big-league camp. “But to put eyes on him every single day, he’s going to help us win this year. He’s going to help us this year at some point in time. I just can’t say when.”