Los Angeles Dodgers: Predicting position player WAR leaders for 2019
By Jason Reed
3. Cody Bellinger
This is where we get to the superstar portion of the Los Angeles Dodgers and where it becomes easy to predict who is still on the list. While the order of the top three players on the Dodgers can be jumbled around based on personal preference, in terms of WAR, this is how the superstars will rank.
Coming in at third is Cody Bellinger, who did have a regression in his sophomore season after a stellar rookie season. However, the regression was not as bad as many were anticipating as Bellinger started to get better down the stretch to improve his numbers.
The Bellinger prediction is one of the more fickle ones as Bellinger is either scorching hot or ice cold. Although he has shown an increased ability to hit left-handed pitching this spring and the new hitting regime in Los Angeles might be able to fix the holes in his swing.
Regardless, Bellinger is going to play every single game if Dave Roberts allows him. He played in 162 of the team’s 163 games last year and this year should be about the same.
He is an elite defensive first baseman and has shown signs of being a great defensive outfielder as well. His power numbers and tendency to get hustle base hits, mixed with that great defense, will narrowly give Bellinger the edge over Hernandez.