Steve Webb
Which Cody do we get this year?
LOS ANGELES — Like many of the positions on the Dodgers’ roster in 2022, Centerfield seems to have a clear favorite to play the position in former MVP Cody Bellinger. But sometimes what we plan is not necessarily what actually happens. Let’s take a look at Cody, and those who might step in if necessary.
Cody Bellinger (2021: .165 AVG, 10 HR, 36 RBI)
Just writing Cody’s stat line from last season was painful, almost as painful as it was to watch him play. Let’s face it, 2021 was pretty much a disaster for Cody Bellinger. He was limited to only 95 games because of that nagging injury that he sustained in the first week of the season, and then never really got back on track the whole year. This makes the second straight year that we’ve gotten an “off” year from the 2019 NL MVP. But there are grumblings around the Dodger fan base that these last two seasons are not the exception. They are who Cody is. Pitchers have figured him out, the argument goes, and he hasn’t been able to adjust. You want to get Belli out? Just throw him the high cheese and your job is done.
Much as I hate to admit it, there is some merit to the argument. Throughout much of last year, he steadfastly refused to change his swing, and there were quite a few plate appearances in which Bellinger looked overmatched, or worse yet, simply lost in the batter’s box.
However, I’m a glass-is-half-full kind of guy. And, I truly believe that there is cause for optimism for the Dodgers young center fielder (who, after all, is still just 26 years old). Here’s my counter-argument to the haters. First, he showed signs of being a real difference maker during the playoffs last year, especially during the series with the Giants. He hit .353 in the postseason last year, and his OPS nearly doubled from the regular season to a healthy .907. Throw in rock solid defense and five stolen bases, and you could make the case that if it hadn’t been for Belli, the Dodgers wouldn’t have beaten either the Cards or the Giants.
Second, Bellinger seems to have revamped his batting stance a bit over the winter. He’s choking up a bit more in his Spring Training AB’s and he seems like taking a wider stance. It’s still very early, and he’s still got a whole lot of swing-and-miss in his approach, but hopefully this new plate approach will bear some fruit and we can get the Cody Bellinger back who won the Rookie of the Year and the MVP not so long ago. The results so far this Spring have not been encouraging, but we have to give him points for at least not doggedly sticking to what hasn’t worked in the past
However, Dave Roberts has got to forget about the trophy case with Bellinger and make roster decisions based on how he’s playing today, and act accordingly. Should Belli falter, there are a couple of other guys who can definitely pick up the slack.
Others…
We hope Bellinger can get back on track in 2021. It is his walk year, so he will be very motivated to do so. However, if that doesn’t happen, we could see Chris Taylor getting more starts in center this year, with AJ Pollock becoming more the day-to-day left fielder. In Belli’s time on the IL last year, Mookie Betts got his share of starts in center as well, but ideally you’d like to keep the Mookster in right.
One prospect on the 40-man roster that is turning a lot of heads is young James Outman, who is looking good in his Spring Training games at Camelback Ranch. He’s got a simple compact swing, and a decent amount of power. Only in his third professional year of experience Outman split time last year between high A Great Lakes and the AA Tulsa Drillers last season. With Tulsa, Outman hit a solid .289 and had a good-looking OPS of .887. You might even say that James Outman is hard to get out, man. Sorry, I had to do it. I need to get these puns out of my system in the early going. Writers have to go through Spring Training, too.
Anyway, best case scenario is that Cody Bellinger plays so great that Doc Roberts won’t even think about James Outman or anybody else all year long. I have put it out into the universe, let’s manifest it and make it be so.
DODGERSBEAT GRADE: C+ (but could be an A with a little extra credit)
