Bellinger Coming Home As Yankees Finally Bring In Slugger

 

Photo by Jason Schott.

Cody Bellinger is finally a Yankee, as the Bronx Bombers acquired the former Most Valuable Player, one of the most lethal bats in baseball, from the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday for right-handed pitcher Cody Poteet.

This move satisfies a lot of the Yankees' needs, as Bellinger can play first base or the outfield, likely center field, as they would like to move Aaron Judge back to right field. 

Depending on how the rest of the offseason goes, Bellinger can either be declared the starter at one position, or have him go back or forth. A realistic scenario could see him taking over first base, with Jasson Dominguez in center, or if they bring in Christian Walker or Pete Alonso to man first, then Bellinger claims center field, and Dominguez likely would be their left fielder.

It is a homecoming of sorts, as Bellinger's father, Clay, was a fan favorite utility player on the Yankees' 1999 and 2000 World Championship teams.

The Bellingers will be the fourth father/son duo to don the pinstripes, joining Yogi Berra and Dale Berra, Ron Davis and Ike Davis, and Mark Leiter and Mark Leiter Jr., who was just on the Yankees' American League pennant-winning team.

Cody Bellinger was an instant success the second his career began as a Los Angeles Dodger, when he was an All-Star in his rookie season, 2017, when he hit .267, with 39 home runs and 97 RBI.

Then, two years later, he won the 2019 National League Most Valuable Player Award when he blasted a career-high 47 home runs with 115 RBI, while hitting .305, with a .406 on-base percentage, .629 slugging percentage, and an OPS of 1.035. Needless to say, he also was an All-Star that season.

Then, in the Covid-shortened 2020 season, he hit just .239 with 12 home runs and 30 RBI in 56 games, but he had four home runs and 13 RBI as the Dodgers won the World Series.

In 2021, Bellinger took a steep decline, when he hit .165, with 10 home runs and 36 RBI in 95 games. The following season was a tad better, as he hit .210, with 19 home runs and 68 RBI, but that was not enough for the Dodgers to retain him.

The Chicago Cubs signed him as a free agent, and his 2023 campaign resembled the player he was in his first three seasons. In 130 games, he hit .307, with 26 home runs and 97 RBI, with a .356 on-base percentage and .525 slugging percentage.

This past season, Bellinger hit .266 with 18 home runs and 78 RBI, a .325 OBP, and a .426 slugging %, in 130 games. He played all three outfield positions, with 49 games (46 starts) in right field, 48 games (47 starts) in center, and one game in left field, with 22 games (13 starts) at first base.

While the Yankees probably should have brought him in two years ago to rescue a season that fell apart after the All-Star Break, they are still getting a solid player at just 29 years old, with a big swing built for Yankee Stadium.