Los Angeles Dodgers: Picking apart Cody Bellinger vs. Aaron Judge

Cody Bellinger has taken the league by storm, sparking the Los Angeles Dodgers to a great run. However, he is still living in the shadow of a Bronx Bomber.

To Dodger fans, Cody Bellinger is the savior of the team. The Los Angeles Dodgers struggled early in the season, when Bellinger was called up the team was 9-11. However, since his call-up on April 25th the boys in blue have put together a 31-14 record; good enough for the best in baseball in that span which catapulted them to first in the NL West.

Fast forward to today, June 14th and the Los Angeles Dodgers are 40-25, tied for first place in the NL West and only trailing the Houston Astros for the best record in all of baseball.

While Cody Bellinger alone has not produced this turnaround, he has led the way offensively and provided a much-needed spark similar to Yasiel Puig in 2013. Bellinger may not have the best batting average in the world, but he uses his six-foot-four frame to belt home runs.

Since his call up Bellinger has slugged 17 home runs, drove in 39 RBIs, and has batted .261. He hits a home run every 9.71 at-bats, and is tied for eighth in total home runs. The crazy thing is Bellinger is not even qualified, Bellinger would need around 36 more at bats to become qualified, which would leave him somewhere around 21 home runs, the second-best in baseball.

The one man who beats that mark is the same man who has been overshadowing Bellinger around the league, Aaron Judge. In case you have been living under a rock, or don’t watch ESPN, Judge is a six-foot-seven 25-year-old that has taken the league by storm.

Judge has slugged 22 home runs, has driven in 49 RBIs and is batting .341. He is fourth in batting average for qualified hitters, is eighth in RBIs, and is first in home runs. This is especially good for someone who I wrote off as overrated before the season began.

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I was wrong, I can admit. However, what I am not wrong about is the fact that Judge is far overshadowing Bellinger in TV air time and popularity. Every time I turn ESPN on Aaron Judge is mentioned in the next five minutes, with Bellinger only being mentioned in a Dodgers highlight.

Judge certainly holds the edge in batting average, that is without a doubt. Not only is he 80 points higher, but he has done it 52 at-bats, which makes it harder to maintain.

However, it is those 52 extra at-bats that are giving Judge the advantage in the power numbers. If Cody Bellinger had the same amount of at-bats, using his averages, he would have the same amount of home runs and 51 runs batted in.

Judge has been walked an outlandish 40 times as well, so these numbers could be inflated. If we take plate appearances into consideration, Bellinger would now have 24 home runs and 55 RBIs.

Judge does just hold the edge in slugging and on-base percentage, however. If the league ended today Judge would have the 71st best OPS in MLB history, with nearly every player ahead of him being a Hall of Famer or future Hall of Famer.

Next: Three keys for the Dodgers to win the NL West

Overall, Aaron Judge is a fantastic player but the differences between him and Bellinger is minimal. As long as Bellinger keeps on slugging for the Los Angeles Dodgers he will get his time to shine, as there will be a time that Judge plateaus.

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