Cody Bellinger's Rock-Solid Start Puts Him in Rare Dodgers Company
By Mark Powell
Cody Bellinger is in the midst of what could very well be an MVP-caliber season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The one-time NL Rookie of the Year is still hitting modestly above .400, a mark very few have achieved this far into the season. Through 46 games, Bellinger is batting .404 with 16 home runs and 42 RBI, with a definite All-Star nod awaiting him as well as much fanfare as he sits double the Mendoza line at this juncture.
Turns out he's making a little Dodgers history as well.
Cody Bellinger is the 1st Dodgers player to be hitting .400 or better through 46 team games as a qualified hitter since Dixie Walker in 1944.
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) May 18, 2019
He hit .421 through 46 team games and finished the season at .357, which led MLB.
Dixie Walker would finish his campaign batting .357, still a respectable number, thanks to a post All-Star break slump. The midsummer classic has a way of humbling even the greatest of players, and Bellinger isn't likely to escape August hitting .400. This is no Ted Williams.
Cody Bellinger at 4.4 WAR, and nobody is close to that.https://t.co/BfoTa6MnD7
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) May 17, 2019
The 23-year-old hit .267 and .260 in his first two MLB seasons, and saw a decrease in his overall numbers come his second year in the bigs. Still, Bellinger's start symbolized his overall potential in the city of Angels: a perennial All-Star and arguable MVP candidate. Not bad for a 23-year-old.