Los Angeles Dodgers: Players that must be better to win the World Series
By Jason Reed
1. Cody Bellinger
It is hard to be negative about Cody Bellinger. Bellinger had the biggest hit of the NLCS that shifted the entire series right after making a miraculous sliding catch that was probably the second-best defensive play in the NLCS behind Chris Taylor‘s misplayed lunge catch in Game 7.
Bellinger is universally a fan-favorite and still was productive last season. In fact, Bellinger played in all 162 games for the Dodgers at some point or another. He hit .260 with a .814 OPS, 25 home runs and 76 RBIs.
By every account, that is a good season and we cannot deny it. Heck, that was even Bellinger regressing after his rookie season, just imagine what he can do when he starts to scratch the surface of his prime.
Bellinger needs to make that leap to his prime in 2019 if the Dodgers want to win the World Series. While Bellinger was productive last season, him taking that extra step to be the menacing, consistent slugger in the fourth spot would be huge.
Because although his numbers were good overall, Bellinger was pretty streaky. He would undergo stretches where it looked like you could not get him out and then undergo stretches where he was an easy out.
If the Dodgers can get a 35-home run, 100-RBI season out of Bellinger with a batting average around .270 it will significantly increase the team’s chances of winning.