Jake Dicker
It is officially awards season, and yesterday Cody Bellinger added some hardware to his shelf. Bellinger was awarded the Rawlings Gold Glove Award for right field in the National League. Other nominees included Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies and 5 time Gold Glove winner Jason Heyward of the Chicago Cubs. This is the first Gold Glove of Bellinger’s young career. He is now eligible (and a very strong candidate) for the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award, honoring the best fielder in each league. This award is voted on by the fans, and can be done online now through November 7. Click here to vote.
Bellinger was unbelievable in right field this season, delivering numerous highlight reel catches and showcasing his strong arm time and time again. He ranked second amongst National League right fielders with 10 outfield assists, and led all MLB right fielders with 19 defensive runs saved.
To no one’s surprise, after winning the Gold Glove Award yesterday, Cody Bellinger was announced as a finalist for NL Most Valuable Player, alongside Anthony Rendon of the Washington Nationals, and reigning NL MVP Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Bellinger hit .305 with 47 home runs and 115 RBI, and certainly made a strong case to win the award. His name has been in the conversation almost all season, hitting over .400 for the two months of the year. A midseason slump resulted in a drop in his statistics, making his .305 average and 47 home runs even more impressive. Regardless of the outcome, Bellinger’s 2019 campaign will be remembered as the best offensive season by a Dodger of the decade. The winner will be announced at 3:00 PST on November 14. You can watch the announcement live on MLB Network.
Dodgers’ left handed starter Hyun-Jin Ryu was named a finalist for the NL Cy Young Award, joined by reigning NL Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets, and 3 time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals. Ryu looked like the clear favorite to win the award for most of the season, carrying a sub 2 ERA into late August, however some rough starts allowed Scherzer and deGrom to creep back into the mix. Ryu led baseball with a 2.32 ERA and a 1.18 walks per nine rate. The NL Cy Young Award will be announced at 3:00 PST on November 13, also on MLB Network.
The Dodgers have not had a Cy Young or MVP winner since Clayton Kershaw won both in 2014.
