LOS ANGELES, CA – One of the biggest head scratchers surrounding the Los Angeles Dodgers in recent years has been figuring out what happened to Cody Bellinger’s ability to hit more consistently.
Bellinger was on a torrid stretch for months during the 2019 season with one “Belli Bomb” after another. It didn’t matter the pitcher or the situation, he was on fire and very difficult to retire in each at-bat. Naturally, he cooled off like most hitters would, but in Bellinger’s case it was a significant drop-off which carried through the final months of that season and into the playoffs.
In 2020 during the COVID-shortened season, Bellinger played that season much how he finished 2019: poorly…from the offensive side anyway. You can always count on him to play center field as well as anybody with his speed and athleticism and even played a solid first base.
Since many other star players struggled that year, because it was unusual circumstances, fans and the media could give him a pass. Not to mention, Bellinger hit one of the biggest home runs in Dodgers history to propel them to the World Series in Game 7 of the NLCS and ultimately helped L.A. win their first championship in 32 years.
(Courtesy of MLB)
Coming off shoulder surgery during that offseason, Bellinger clearly wasn’t the same in 2021. Combine that with numerous leg injuries, he never got into any sort of groove last season, constantly changing his swing and stance, and it clearly reflected in the worst offensive season of his career.
However, Bellinger found his stroke in the playoffs giving fans some hope that if he has a full offseason to get improve, he can build on his solid 2021 playoffs and get back to a version of what he was in 2019 and not as horrible as last season.
Bellinger appears to have found that balance through nearly 20 games in the 2022 season. While he’s still been relegated to batting toward the bottom of this star-studded lineup, Bellinger is in a lower leverage part of the batting order and has certainly been more productive than he was this time last season.
After going hitless in the series loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, his batting average has dropped to a pedestrian .227 but Bellinger has hit four home runs (a team-high) with eight RBIs along with three stolen bases and a .777 OPS while cutting down on the strikeout rate.
Recently, he was named NL Player of the Week (for the week of 4/17-4/24) after he recorded three multi-hit games and even had a two-home run game against the San Diego Padres.
Just to provide some perspective, Bellinger certainly isn’t the only Dodger trying to get into a groove to start the season. Other All-Stars like Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, and veteran Justin Turner have also struggled to start the season to consistently produce offensively. However, the general concern over those guys struggling is lower, because they have proven to get hot in a hurry.
Because of how bad his last two regular seasons have been, Bellinger doesn’t get that same benefit of the doubt, so he will be scrutinized more than others.
The fact is the Dodgers don’t necessarily need Belli to be the 2019 MVP and carry this squad because of how deep they are and how much star power they have. However, if he can post a .275 average with 20+ home runs, 65-75 RBIs, and continue to patrol center field like a night watchman, that should be enough to keep the criticism from fans and media to a minimum.
He’s put it in the work to get healthy and improve his swing, now it’s just about producing on the field. Bellinger might not be back to being that MVP, but seems to be getting more comfortable in finding that balance between a star and a role player.
