Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — SNLA studio analyst and former Dodger Jerry Hairston Jr. had some choice words for Cody Bellinger after Belli’s latest episode in futility on Friday night. “(Cody) is not going to be able to hit like this,” he said, referencing the latest iteration of Bellinger’s stance.
After saying that he felt like Cody was like a “son” to him, Hairston didn’t hold back on the criticism. “That flat bat, you’re not in an athletic position — you can’t hit like this, I’m sorry.”
In the game that sparked the comments, Bellinger went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Over the last 30 games, he is hitting just a buck 89 with an OPS well below league average. And Hairston thinks he knows why. “He’s one of the best athletes in the world, the analyst continued, “and he’s unathletic in the batter’s box.”
It seemed like in the 2021 postseason Bellinger had recovered some of his MVP form. His big hit in Game 5 of the San Francisco series put the Dodgers in the lead for good, and his earth-shaking homerun in Game 4 of the series with the Braves saved the team from a home loss disaster. In all Bellinger hit .353 with a .903 OPS in the 2021 postseason, and was a huge part of the reason that the Dodgers hung around as long as they did, given their hobbled pitching staff.
Hairston went on to lay part of the blame on Bellinger taking advice from the wrong people. “You have “hitting gurus” and swing coaches that never played in the big leagues. They don’t understand big league movement… It’s a totally different ballgame. You’re too talented and too good of a player to keep doing the same thing over again. Stop doing this!”
You can watch Hairston’s entire rant here:
Hairston was a grinder in his playing days, and hung around for 16 years precisely because he couldn’t rely on overwhelming natural ability to get him through his career. So, though he never won and MVP like Cody has, he knows what works and what doesn’t better than most. Cody Bellinger would be well served to give him a listen.
