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If Bellinger regains his old form, even something close to it, the Cubs will have struck gold. As a reminder, voting for all major awards takes places after the regular season and before the postseason. The full 2017 NL Rookie of the Year voting results can be seen at the BBWAA's site.
If they do land at least one of those three players, the 2023 Cubs are shaping up to be competitive again. And if Bellinger can keep trending upward, they could be the surprise team to keep on eye on. The Cubs might not be on the seller’s track, however. They also signed Jameson Taillon late Tuesday night, and multiple reports still have them connected to all three of Carlos Correa, Xander Boegarts, and Dansby Swanson.
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He has 15 home runs this year and watching him compete against Harper – who is only one year younger than Bryant and also grew in Las Vegas, Nev. – would make the derby even more entertaining. Nothing is for certain, but I would bet on seeing the Yankees rookie among the eight-man field July 10. Judge also elaborated that he wouldn’t be concerned with the Derby affecting his swing. Fresh off his Arson Judge mishap, Jon Heyman reported that Bellinger will go to the Chicago Cubs. ESPN's Jeff Passan said the 2019 NL MVP signed a one-year, $17.5 million deal. Cody Bellinger will hope to revive his career on a new NL team.
Bellinger, originally much weaker while batting than fielding, became a power hitter after making a change to his batting stance during the 2014–15 offseason. Working with Shawn Wooten and Damon Mashore, Bellinger incorporated a small hand and wrist movement into his "load phase", which prepared him to make strong contact with the ball. These changes, coupled with showing greater discretion in choosing when to swing, helped Bellinger make contact more frequently and with greater power during his MVP season. A few years later, Bellinger became a standout baseball player for Hamilton High School in Chandler. He was voted team MVP as both a junior and as a senior, and hit .429 in his senior season.
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All of those players were subpar at the plate except for Morel, who is a natural infielder and produced poor defensive numbers on the grass. The Cubs have some intriguing outfield prospects that could fill this role in the long run, but Bellinger and Ian Happ are set to become free agents a year from now, meaning there’s plenty of long-term runway. Seiya Suzuki, who’s controlled through 2026, is the only outfielder penciled in for the long haul. Bellinger’s first homer Tuesday came against Miller, one of the best left-handed relievers in the majors. A star of the postseason last fall, Miller had not allowed a home run to anyone this season or an extra-base hit of any kind to a left-handed hitter.
He quickly jumped up to $11.5MM in his first year of eligibility and then to $16.1MM for 2021 after having a diminished but still productive 2020. Since the arbitration system is designed to push salaries up, Bellinger jumped to $17MM for 2022 despite his poor performance in the prior season. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected another jump to $18.1MM for 2023 but the Dodgers decided to cut bait and non-tendered Bellinger, sending him to free agency. With Bellinger now moving on to a new club, they will have to chart a new course in center field for 2023. But pretty clutch to win game seven on the road to win the ring.
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I do wish him the best and hopefully he proves me dead wrong but his last three years at the plate have been awful. If he can’t hit in the warm weather of LA, I don’t see him turning his batting around in the Windy City, especially in the cold months of April and May. On December 23, Bellinger signed a $17 million contract with the Dodgers, avoiding salary arbitration. In 2022, Bellinger had the lowest on base percentage of all qualified hitters in the majors at .265, he also had a .210 batting average with 19 home runs and 68 RBIs and struck out 150 times in 504 at bats.
I’d rather have Friedman make smart decisions on what will impact not only the short-term results but also long-term results. Small-market discipline with big-market resources and thinking. Wow, this explains why the Dodgers weren’t able to bring him back at perhaps a much lower salary, which I thought that there would be a small possibility. I figured that there would be teams looking for 2019 bounce back but I guess they kind of ignored what Bellinger has been doing at the plate the last three seasons. A lot of money for a high risk to never bounce back, albeit only one season.
Cody Bellinger hits two home runs again as…
By the All-Star break, Bellinger and Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers were the frontrunners for the NL MVP Award. Bellinger led with 72 runs, 73 RBIs, a .334 average, and a .431 on-base percentage, while his 31 home runs, .687 slugging percentage, and 1.118 on-base plus slugging were all slightly behind Yelich. Bellinger also led MLB with 6.7 Wins Above Replacement. Bellinger received both his second All-Star game nod and his first All-Star start in 2019, opening the game in the NL outfield with Yelich and with Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves.
Potentially a couple of more significant signings but they’re not throwing $ mm + stupid money contracts. The Dodgers have some holes to plug and declining productivity/roster uncertainty. Make a few trades to use some of their minor league trade capital that they’ve built up, preferably on players that they can control beyond next season, and bring up a few prospects later in the season. Field a competitive team than can make the playoffs without really going for it on the spending front, then position yourself to make a better run in 2024.
Throw in a few trips to the IL, and he’s still yet to regain his MVP form since. Do I think it can happen on a 1-yr, $17.5MM deal? As a Jays fan, I understand the need for a CF and a LHH, but much like Heaney, it’s just too big of a gamble to roll the dice on. Like I said, it will be a competitive team after Friedman makes his moves. Also, contrary to common belief the Dodgers draw extremely well even in seasons when they don’t make the playoffs. The fans will still come out even if they don’t make the playoffs especially after making it the last 10 seasons.
This is the second successive season a Dodgers player has won the NL Rookie of the Year award unanimously. Bellinger is the 18th Dodger to win Rookie of the Year, far and away the most for any franchise. Among the previous winners are Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe, Fernando Valenzuela, and Mike Piazza.
The world will not be ending if they don’t make it one season. Doubt the front office is worried about fans not showing up. Sure, this could be the season that they don’t make the playoffs but I wouldn’t count them out as there is enough talent to compete. If that freaking Giants team won the NL West in 2021, quite certain the 2023 Dodgers have a chance. Sure, Padres will be better as well as the D’backs and potentially Giants depending on which big splash signings they accomplish. Like I said there will be moves but it’s not going to be the big splash signings, IMO.
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