Cody Bellinger

Cody Bellinger
Bellinger with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017
Los Angeles Dodgers – No. 35
First baseman / Outfielder
Born: (1995-07-13) July 13, 1995
Scottsdale, Arizona
Bats: Left Throws: Left
MLB debut
April 25, 2017, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB statistics
(through 2018 season)
Batting average .263
Home runs 64
Runs batted in 173
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Cody James Bellinger (born July 13, 1995) is an American professional baseball first baseman and outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was named an MLB All-Star and the National League's Rookie of the Year in 2017. Bellinger is the son of Clay Bellinger, who also played in MLB.


Early life

Cody Bellinger was born in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Amateur career

Bellinger played in the 2007 Little League World Series for the Chandler, Arizona team[1] and played high school baseball at Hamilton High School in Chandler.[2] He was a 2013 Rawlings-Perfect Game 2nd Team All-American.[3] While known primarily for his hitting ability, Bellinger also pitched for his high school and threw a four-hit, complete-game shutout with 10 strikeouts in a national tournament.[4]

Minor leagues

Bellinger as a member of the Tulsa Drillers

Bellinger was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft[5] and signed with them on June 13, 2013, for a $700,000 signing bonus, despite a verbal commitment to play college baseball at the University of Oregon.[6] He made his professional debut with the Arizona League Dodgers, batting .210 in 195 plate appearances.[7] He had some difficulty making contact in his first pro season, striking out 46 times in 47 games but scouts said he showed promise and had lots of power potential.[8]

In 2014, he was promoted to the Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer League[9] and despite dealing with a shoulder injury early in the summer[10] he hit .328 in 46 games for the Raptors.[7] He played in 2015 with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes and was selected to the mid-season California League all-star team[11] as well as the post-season all-star team.[12] In 128 games, he hit .264 with 30 homers (tied for 2nd in the league), leading the league in runs (97) and RBIs (103).[7][13] He was given a non-roster invitation to Dodgers spring training in 2016.[14] Bellinger was assigned to the Double-A Tulsa Drillers in the Texas League to start the 2016 season.[15] In 114 games for Tulsa he hit .263 with 23 homers (3rd in the league), 59 walks (tied for 3rd in the league), and 65 RBIs (9th in the league), earning him a late-season promotion to the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers, where he had six hits in 11 at bats (.545 average) and three home runs.[16][17][7] Bellinger was assigned to the Glendale Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League after the season and he participated in the Fall Stars Game of top prospects in the league.[18]

Bellinger began the 2017 season with Oklahoma City[19] and was called up to the majors for the first time on April 25, 2017.[20]

Professional career

Los Angeles Dodgers

2017: NL Rookie of the Year

Bellinger hitting with the 2017 Los Angeles Dodgers

Bellinger started in left field in his major league debut on April 25, 2017, against the San Francisco Giants and had one hit in three at-bats, with an intentional walk. He was just the third Dodgers player in history to be intentionally walked in his debut (Chico Fernández, Dick Nen). Bellinger's first major league hit was an infield single off Neil Ramirez in the ninth inning of the same game.[21][22] Bellinger hit his first major league home run on April 29 off Zach Eflin of the Philadelphia Phillies and followed that by hitting a second home run in the same game, this one off Héctor Neris. He was just the third Dodgers player with a two–home-run game among his first five starts, joining Charlie Gilbert (1940) and Yasiel Puig (2013).[23][24] He hit his first grand slam on May 6, off Miguel Díaz of the San Diego Padres, as part of a career-high five RBI day.[25] He was the first Dodgers player to hit five home runs within his first 11 games.[26] Bellinger was named the National League Player of the Week for the first week of May.[27] With nine home runs in May, Bellinger moved into a three-way tie with Joc Pederson (May 2015) and James Loney (September 2007) for most home runs by a Dodgers rookie in a calendar month.[28] He was named the National League Rookie of the Month for May.[29]

Bellinger hit two home runs against the Cincinnati Reds on June 11, then did so again in the Dodgers' next game—on June 13, against the Cleveland Indians—to become the first Dodgers player to hit two home runs in back-to-back games since Adrián Beltré in the 2004 season and he had four multi–home-run games in his first 45 games, becoming the fastest player in MLB history to accomplish that, besting Bob Horner who did so in 63 games in 1978.[30] He again hit two home runs in a game on June 19, against the New York Mets, and in the process tied Wally Berger and Gary Sánchez for the fastest players to hit 20 home runs.[31] On June 20, Bellinger became the first rookie in MLB history with 10 home runs in a 10-game span.[32] He had his sixth multi–home-run game on June 25, against the Colorado Rockies, passing Mike Piazza to set a new Dodgers rookie record.[33] He won his second player of the week award for his work that week.[34] Bellinger was named to the 2017 Major League Baseball All-Star Game as a reserve.[35] He also competed in the Home Run Derby, advancing to the second round before falling to the eventual champion Aaron Judge.[36] On July 15, he hit for the cycle against the Miami Marlins, the first rookie in franchise history to do so.[37] On September 2, he hit his 35th home run of the season to tie Mike Piazza for the Dodgers rookie record.[38] He broke the record the following day.[39] He tied Wally Berger and Frank Robinson for the National League record when he hit his 38th home run on September 16.[40] He hit his 39th on September 22 against the San Francisco Giants.[41]

In his first season in the majors, Bellinger played in 132 games with a .267 batting average, 39 home runs, and 97 RBI.[42] He was selected as the Sporting News NL Rookie of the Year.[43] He played in all 15 of the Dodgers games in the post-season, with a .219 batting average, three home runs and nine RBI. He also struck out 29 times in 64 at-bats.[42] In Game 5 of the 2017 World Series, Bellinger came to bat in the fifth inning, and with two Dodgers on base, hit a home run. The three-run-home run temporarily put the Dodgers in the lead.[44] He set the MLB record for most strikeouts in one postseason with 29 strikeouts, 17 strikeouts in the World Series alone.[45] After the season, he was unanimously voted as the National League Rookie of the Year.[46]

Awards and Honors

Personal life

Bellinger's family is of French, German, and Greek heritage and his father, Clay, played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees and Anaheim Angels.[51] His younger brother, Cole Bellinger, was the winning pitcher for Hamilton High School (Chandler, Arizona) in both the 2016 and 2017 state-championship games and was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 15th round of the 2017 MLB Draft.[52][53]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Associated Press (August 19, 2007). "Bellinger Like His Father but With More Power". New York Times. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  2. ↑ Willsey, Lee (March 4, 2013). "BELLINGER QUIETLY, TRIUMPHANTLY MAKES MARK FOR HAMILTON BB". AZPreps365. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Annual awards recognize the top senior athletes in high school baseball nationwide". Perfect Game Inc. March 12, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  4. ↑ Brudnicki, Alexis (March 28, 2013). "Cody Bellinger Shows Off Arm With 10-Strikeout Complete-Game Performance At NHSI". Baseball America. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  5. ↑ Laymance, Austin (June 7, 2013). "Dodgers take first baseman Bellinger in fourth round". mlb.com. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  6. ↑ Stephen, Eric (June 13, 2013). "MLB Draft 2013: Dodgers sign Brandon Dixon (3rd) & Cody Bellinger (4th)". SB Nation. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Cody Bellinger minor league statistics & history". Baseball Reference.
  8. ↑ Massey, Jared (September 20, 2013). "2013 Dodgers Minor League Review: Rookies". Scout.com. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  9. ↑ Stephen, Eric (June 15, 2014). "Ogden Raptors 2014 opening day roster includes John Richy, Brock Stewart". SB Nation. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  10. ↑ Massey, Jared (September 18, 2014). "Dodgers 2014 Minor League Review: Ogden Raptors". Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  11. 1 2 Dykstra, Sam (June 11, 2015). "Phillips, Reed headline Cal League All-Stars". milb.com. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  12. 1 2 California League (August 21, 2015). "Cal League reveals postseason All-Stars". milb.com. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  13. ↑ "2015 California League Awards". Baseball Cube. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  14. ↑ Simon, Andrew (January 25, 2016). "Top pitching prospects invited to Dodgers camp". mlb.com. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  15. ↑ Lewis, Barry (April 4, 2016). "Drillers' roster set for season opener". Tulsaworld.com. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  16. ↑ "2016 Texas League". Baseball Cube. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  17. ↑ Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger unfazed by slow start
  18. 1 2 Stephen, Eric (November 5, 2016). "Willie Calhoun, Cody Bellinger each homer in Fall Stars Game". SB Nation. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  19. ↑ Unruh, Jacob (April 6, 2017). "OKC Dodgers: Cody Bellinger latest top prospect to come through OKC". NewsOK. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  20. ↑ Stephen, Eric (April 25, 2017). "Cody Bellinger called up to make major league debut with Dodgers". SB Nation. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants Box Score, April 25, 2017". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
  22. ↑ Stepgen, Eric (April 25, 2017). "Clayton Kershaw gives Dodgers a leg up". SB Nation. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  23. ↑ Dilbeck, Steve (April 30, 2017). "Bellinger makes most of first big league HRs". mlb.com. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  24. ↑ Stephen, Eric (April 29, 2017). "Dodgers stun Phillies with 3 home runs in 9th inning in 6-5 win". SB Nation. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  25. ↑ "Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres Box Score, May 6, 2017". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
  26. ↑ Stephen, Eric (May 6, 2017). "Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers survive 8th-inning blip to beat Padres". SB Nation. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  27. 1 2 Stephen, Eric (May 8, 2017). "Cody Bellinger named NL Player of the Week". SB Nation. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  28. ↑ Chasen, Scott and Joe Harris (May 29, 2017). "Dodgers ride trio of HRs to 5th straight win". mlb.com. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  29. 1 2 Vernola, Trevor (June 2, 2017). "Dodgers News: Cody Bellinger Named NL Rookie of the Month". dodgersnation.com. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  30. ↑ Kowileskin, William and Ben Weinrib (June 13, 2017). "Kershaw tops Tribe after Bellinger bests Miller". MLB.com. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  31. ↑ Baer, Bill (June 19, 2017). "Cody Bellinger sets major league record with 21 home runs through first 51 games". NBC Sports. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  32. ↑ Baccellieri, Emma (June 20, 2017). "Cody Bellinger Is The First Rookie Ever To Hit 10 Home Runs In 10 Games". Deadspin. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  33. ↑ Minami, Craig (June 25, 2017). "Cody Bellinger hits two home runs as Dodgers storm back to win 12-6 and sweep Rockies". SB Nation. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  34. 1 2 "Dodgers' Cody Bellinger named National League Player of the Week". MLB.com. June 26, 2017. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  35. 1 2 Stephen, Eric (July 2, 2017). "All-Star Game rosters 2017: Dodgers send 4 players to Miami". SB Nation. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  36. ↑ Andrew and Chad Thornburg, Simon (July 10, 2017). "All rise: Judge wins Home Run Derby". mlb.com. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  37. ↑ Sattell, Glenn (July 15, 2017). "Bellinger is 1st Dodgers rookie to hit for cycle". mlb.com. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  38. ↑ Gurnick, Ken (September 2, 2017). "Bellinger's 35th ties Dodgers' rookie HR record". mlb.com. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
  39. ↑ Gurnick, Ken (September 4, 2017). "SD beats LA; Bellinger sets Dodgers record". mlb.com. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  40. ↑ Collier, Jamal and Ken Gurnick (September 17, 2017). "LA stifles Nats again, drops magic number to 5". mlb.com. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  41. ↑ Stephen, Eric (September 22, 2017). "Cody Bellinger breaks NL record for home runs by a rookie". SB Nation. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  42. 1 2 "Cody Bellinger Statistics & History". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  43. 1 2 Foster, Jason (October 23, 2017). "Dodgers' Cody Bellinger wins Sporting News NL Rookie of the Year". Sporting News. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  44. ↑ Rollins, Khadrice (October 29, 2017). "Watch: Cody Bellinger Puts Dodgers Ahead 7-4 With Fifth Inning Home Run". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  45. ↑ Lott, Thomas (November 1, 2017). "World Series 2017: Dodgers' Cody Bellinger breaks Aaron Judge's infamous record". Sporting News. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  46. 1 2 Stephen, Eric (November 13, 2016). "Cody Bellinger the unanimous winner of NL Rookie of the Year". SB Nation. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  47. ↑ City News Service (January 3, 2018). "Cody Bellinger Clinches LA Sports Council's 2017 Sportsman of the Year". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  48. ↑ Kavner, Rowan (July 3, 2017). "Bellinger, Jansen earn NL June honors". Dodger Insider. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  49. ↑ Stephen, Eric (November 8, 2017). "Cody Bellinger named Players Choice NL Outstanding Rookie". SB Nation. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  50. ↑ Rockies PR (November 7, 2017). "Topps All-Star Rookie Team - Rockies right-hander German Márquez honored". KKTV News. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  51. ↑ Brudnicki, Alexis (March 29, 2013). "Bellinger Looks To Big League Father For Draft Advice". Baseball America. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  52. ↑ Mitchell, Bill (May 18, 2016). "HAMILTON HIGH WINS ARIZONA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP". Baseball America. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  53. ↑ Cassavell, AJ (June 14, 2017). "Padres draft Cole Bellinger, brother of Cody". Major League Baseball. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
Achievements
Preceded by
Nolan Arenado		 Hitting for the cycle
July 15, 2017		 Succeeded by
Evan Longoria
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