From a unanimous MVP and Gold Glove winner who looked lost at the plate to a Comeback Player of the Year frontrunner, Cody Bellinger’s dramatic career arc is a story of resilience, elite talent, and one of the most fascinating turnarounds in recent baseball history.
Key Takeaways
- Cody Bellinger hit .260 with 33 home runs and 87 RBIs in 155 games during the 2019 MLB season
- In 2020, shortened season, Bellinger batted .239 with 4 HR and 15 RBI in 56 games
- Bellinger's career batting average through 2023 is .256 over 868 games
- Career fielding percentage as 1B: .993 in 452 games
- As CF: .989 FPCT in 289 games
- LF: .983 in 130 games
- NL Rookie of the Year 2019
- NL MVP 2019, unanimous
- Gold Glove Award 2019 at 1B
- In 2020 NLCS, Bellinger hit .275 with 1 HR and 5 RBI in 7 games
- 2017 NLCS: .250 BA, 1 HR in debut postseason
- 2018 World Series: .200 BA, 1 HR, 3 RBI vs Boston
- Career minor league batting .271 over 5 seasons
- Born July 13, 1995, in Scottsdale, AZ
- Drafted 4th round 2013 by Dodgers out of high school
Cody Bellinger's career has ranged from 2019 MVP brilliance to a strong 2023 Cubs resurgence.
Awards and Honors
- NL Rookie of the Year 2019
- NL MVP 2019, unanimous
- Gold Glove Award 2019 at 1B
- All-MLB First Team 2019
- Silver Slugger 2019
- All-Star selection 2021 and 2023
- Hank Aaron Award finalist 2019
- NL Player of the Month August 2019
- NL Player of the Week multiple times, e.g., May 6 2019
- Fielding Bible Award 2019
- MLB All-Rookie Team 2018
- Dodgers MVP 2019
- Heart & Hustle Award nominee
- Roberto Clemente Award nominee 2020
- Topps All-Star Rookie 2018
- NLCS MVP 2020
- Silver Slugger finalist 2023
- Gold Glove finalist 2023
- Players Choice Award NL Outstanding Player 2019
- This Year in Baseball Award Hitter of the Year 2019
- ESPN All-MLB team 2019
- Baseball America All-MLB First Team 2019
- FanGraphs All-MLB 2019
- NL Hank Aaron Award winner 2019
- Shortstop of the Year finalist minor leagues 2016
Awards and Honors Interpretation
He gave us a fleeting but brilliant glimpse of baseball perfection, sweeping the awards shelf before the universe, in its cosmic irony, decided to test his resilience with a two-strike count.
Batting Statistics
- Cody Bellinger hit .260 with 33 home runs and 87 RBIs in 155 games during the 2019 MLB season
- In 2020, shortened season, Bellinger batted .239 with 4 HR and 15 RBI in 56 games
- Bellinger's career batting average through 2023 is .256 over 868 games
- He recorded 970 hits in 3386 at-bats career
- 2023 season: .307 BA, 26 HR, 90 RBI in 130 games with Cubs
- Career OPS of .819, highest among his positional peers in early career
- 2019: Led NL with 1.0 fWAR from power hitting
- Slugging percentage career .477
- On-base percentage .325 career
- 105 doubles career through 2023
- Triples: 12 career
- Walks: 412 career, strikeouts: 1025
- ISO (isolated power) career .221
- wOBA career .345
- 2018 rookie: .260/.338/.474 slash line
- Hard-hit rate 45.2% career
- Barrel rate 11.3%
- Exit velocity avg 91.2 mph
- Pull rate 40.1%
- 2021: .248/.306/.424, 10 HR in 80 games
- 2022: .210/.265/.360, 19 HR in 144 games
- Runs scored career 468
- Stolen bases 25 career
- Sacrifice flies 24
- Intentional walks 17
- Hit by pitch 64 times
- GIDP (grounded into double plays) 52 career
- wRC+ career 122
- Spelled average .256 vs LHP career
- Vs RHP .257 career BA
- In 130 games with Cubs 2023, 81 runs scored
Batting Statistics Interpretation
He is baseball's most compelling drama queen, delivering MVP brilliance, harrowing slumps, and a resurgent star turn, all to give us the on-field whiplash that makes his eventual Cubs revival so satisfying.
Career and Personal Stats
- Career minor league batting .271 over 5 seasons
- Born July 13, 1995, in Scottsdale, AZ
- Drafted 4th round 2013 by Dodgers out of high school
- Signed 1-year $17.5M deal with Cubs 2023
- Height 6'4", weight 235 lbs
- Father Clay Bellinger, World Series champ 2000 Yankees
- Debut April 25, 2017 vs Phillies, 1st ML HR next day
- Traded to Cubs Dec 2023 for prospects
- 2024 qualifying offer $21.125M declined by Cubs
- Bats left, throws left
- College commit to Oregon but turned pro
- Married to Chase Carter, model
- Endorsements with New Balance, Pepsi
- Charity work with Boys & Girls Clubs
- High school rollie fingers award winner
- Minor league HR leader 2016 with 28 in AA
- Total career salary $80M+
- 788 games with Dodgers, 130 with Cubs through 2023
- Jersey number 25 with Dodgers, 24 with Cubs
- Instagram followers 1.2M+
- Participated in Home Run Derby 2019, 1st round 23 HRs
- Minor league stolen bases 64 in 387 games
- Walk year 2023 led to big contract rumors
Career and Personal Stats Interpretation
Despite being a fourth-round pick and starting his career in the minor leagues with a solid but unspectacular .271 average, Cody Bellinger's blend of power, pedigree, and market timing has turned him into a $17.5-million redemption project and one of baseball’s most intriguing free-agent puzzles.
Fielding Statistics
- Career fielding percentage as 1B: .993 in 452 games
- As CF: .989 FPCT in 289 games
- LF: .983 in 130 games
- Total putouts career 2971
- Assists 128 career
- Errors 27 career
- DRS (defensive runs saved) +48 career
- UZR/150 +7.2 career
- As 1B 2019: 12 DRS, Gold Glove winner
- 2020 CF: +5 DRS in limited action
- Arm strength percentile 89th in Statcast
- Outfield arm value +8 runs career
- Infield arm +2
- Range factor per 9 innings 1B: 9.85 career
- CF range factor 2.45
- Double plays turned as 1B: 345
- Passed balls 2, wild pitches caught 1 as C early minor leagues
- 2023 Cubs: 1.5 dWAR
- Total chances per game avg 2.8 at 1B
- OAA (outs above average) +15 career
- Sprint speed 27.8 ft/sec, 78th percentile
- Reactions metric 95th percentile in OF
- Blocks above avg as 1B +5.2
- 2019 Gold Glove at 1B, 99.7% catch percentage
- Career total zone runs +42
- RFI (range factor innings) 4.12 as OF
- 2023: 0 errors in 104 games at 1B/LF
Fielding Statistics Interpretation
Cody Bellinger’s glove work is like a Swiss Army knife—he’s a Gold Glove-caliber first baseman who can also expertly patrol the outfield, saving runs with his remarkable reactions, strong arm, and a knack for being exactly where the ball is hit.
Postseason Statistics
- In 2020 NLCS, Bellinger hit .275 with 1 HR and 5 RBI in 7 games
- 2017 NLCS: .250 BA, 1 HR in debut postseason
- 2018 World Series: .200 BA, 1 HR, 3 RBI vs Boston
- 2019 NLDS: .222 BA in 4 games
- 2020 World Series: .160 BA, 0 HR in 7 games vs Rays
- 2023 NL Wild Card: .167 BA vs Brewers
- Career postseason OPS .677 in 32 games
- 4 postseason home runs total
- 10 RBI in playoffs career
- Walks 12, strikeouts 28 in postseason
- Stolen bases 1 in playoffs
- NLCS 2020: 2 doubles, 1 triple
- Iconic catch in 2020 NLCS Game 7 robbing Soto
- 2018 NLDS vs Brewers: .417 BA, 3 hits
- Runs scored 5 in 2020 WS
- Fielding .985 FPCT postseason
- 1 error in playoffs career
- Pinch hit AB 3, 1 hit in postseason
- Extra innings postseason: 1 for 5
- Home postseason .222 BA, road .231
- Day games playoffs .250, night .220
- Vs lefties postseason .190 BA
- 2020 NLCS MVP with game-winning HR in Gm5
- Total postseason plate appearances 130
- Sacrifice flies 1 in playoffs
Postseason Statistics Interpretation
Cody Bellinger's postseason story is less about consistent dominance and more about a flair for delivering exactly one very important, well-timed thing right when the Dodgers needed it most, often while the rest of his stat line politely looks the other way.
Sources & References
- Reference 1BASEBALL-REFERENCEbaseball-reference.comVisit source
- Reference 2MLBmlb.comVisit source
- Reference 3FANGRAPHSfangraphs.comVisit source
- Reference 4ESPNespn.comVisit source
- Reference 5BASEBALLSAVANTbaseballsavant.mlb.comVisit source
- Reference 6MLBPAmlbpa.orgVisit source
- Reference 7BASEBALLAMERICAbaseballamerica.comVisit source
- Reference 8SPOTRACspotrac.comVisit source
- Reference 9ENen.wikipedia.orgVisit source
- Reference 10FORBESforbes.comVisit source
- Reference 11PLAYERSALLIANCEplayersalliance.orgVisit source
- Reference 12MILBmilb.comVisit source
- Reference 13INSTAGRAMinstagram.comVisit source
- Reference 14THEATHLETICtheathletic.comVisit source
