Los Angeles Dodgers: Bold predictions for Cody Bellinger in 2020
By Jason Reed
Cody Bellinger is coming off of an MVP-winning season and the Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder is one of baseball’s most entertaining players to watch.
Cody Bellinger burst into the scene in 2017, when the slugging outfielder/first baseman expected to just be a September call-up. However, a Joc Pederson injury gave Bellinger a chance and he effectively played his way onto the roster, eventually taking the first base job from fan-favorite, Adrian Gonzalez.
Bellinger ended up setting a new National League rookie record for home runs in a season, a record that was quickly broken by Pete Alonso in 2019, and was unanimously named the National League Rookie of the Year.
Two years later, after a sophomore slump-type season that still was not all that bad, Bellinger hoisted his first MVP trophy after hitting .305 with 47 home runs, 115 RBIs and a 1.035 OPS. This was highlighted by an early-season hot streak that saw Bellinger hit .431 with 14 home runs in his first 31 games.
Bellinger was not as great in the second half of the season, hitting .263, but was still getting on base frequently via the walk and posted an OPS over .900. However, it is that second-half drop off that has some fans worried about a season more reminiscent of 2018 from Bellinger in 2020.
Bellinger is the second-most intriguing Dodger heading into 2020, right behind Mookie Betts, as fans are eager to learn if Bellinger can cement himself as one of baseball’s best with another elite season or if he will have a drop-off, similar to Bryce Harper‘s drop-off after his MVP season.
Here are our three bold predictions for the slugging outfielder in 2020.