Dodgers: Cody Bellinger is Ready to Start Fresh and Redeem Himself in the Postseason
Few players had as bad of a year as Cody Bellinger did for the Dodgers this season. The former NL MVP went from the end of guy you want to build a franchise around to one you cringe at when you see him walk up to home plate.
That’s how bad the 2021 season was for him.
To be fair, Cody did have surgery on his shoulder this past offseason after he dislocated it celebrating a playoff home run. While that surgery may be far removed, it takes time to get one’s body right and back to peak form. It also doesn’t help when you break your leg only a couple weeks into the new season. Injuries had a lot to do with his regression, but there were also times he looked completely lost and uncomfortable when batting. Add that all up and you get a Belli that managed to scrape together a .165 batting average in 95 games.
The postseason is usually considered by many as a second season or the real season. For Bellinger, it’s a chance for him to reset and make up for the past.
“I think at this point it’s time to forget the season and just worry about the postseason. And just try to help this team any way I can — offense, defense, base running. You know, there’s a lot more aspects to the game and I feel good and I’m feeling healthy, so any way I can impact the game, I’m trying to impact it.”
Cody was able to make an impact during the Dodgers NL Wild Card victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. He went 1-2 with 2 walks and 2 stolen bases of off Yadier Molina. Arguably the biggest moment for him was drawing a 2 out walk in the 9th inning to help bring Chris Taylor to the plate. Without the seal shift in momentum, who knows how the game would have played out, especially with the team’s not so great performance in extras this season.
While Cody hasn’t done too well in the playoffs so far in his career, it’s possible that this may be the start of a new chapter for him. If he can get himself right and make an impact as he said, the Dodgers will be that much more dangerous for opposing teams.
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Taylor is the one who made the impact in the wild card game, by hitting a walk off home run. And he’s the one that should be in the outfield with Betts and Pollack.
While I understand your argument which is a valid one too, I will defer to the wizard. I could easily see a Friday lineup with CT3 in CF and Belli at 1B. But whatever it is, it is. Not our decision to make. I will not second guess the winningest manager in baseball history.
Bellinger will start in either CF or 2st. If you noticed as I have, the Dodgers are not the LHB heavy they used to be. Look at the available productive RHB this team now has:
Betts
Trea Turner
Justin Turner
AJ Pollock
Will Smith
CT3
Albert Pujols
Austin Barnes
So Giants cannot be too quick to throw as many LHP as before especially with Muncy sidelined.
Meant Bellinger at 1st
Talk is cheap. The guy had a hit and a couple of walks in the WC game and you’d think it was the second coming. Like Tim Wallach used to say. “Shut up and play!”
No problem if Bellinger is in the lineup as long as CT3 is too.
Pujols should be at first.
Doc pushed all of the right buttons last night. He could do no wrong, and you have to give him that. The Dodgers are off on the right foot!
Becoming the winningest manager in baseball history is fluke. Doc knows the strengths and weaknesses of his players and constantly puts them in the best possible positions to succeed. Dodgers are extremely fortunate to have him at the helm. I don’t agree with everything he does, for example, I thought I was going to pass out when I saw Graterol warming up in the pen last night. All he does is come in and throws 5 pitches and gets 3 outs! I certainly wouldn’t have made that move, but I’m not the winningest manager in baseball history 😉
Here we go with the campaign strategy by BELLINGER and ROBERTS , New Season starting (meaning Playoffs ) different approach to playoff games . Taylor was the one who put the Dodgers over the top , because Bellinger walked twice and stole two bases now He is at the top of his game , still swinging at air , timing all messed up , He will continue to strikeout at least 2 to 3 times a game , Robert’s just doesn’t get it , now with the win over the Cards , Robert’s is the best Manager in the world !!! Just so tired of talking about it . Again continue with the Campaign Strategy, talks , make us believe the Decisions Robert’s makes are the right ones, using Taylor was …DEFINITELY… was the correct decision , Taylor was long time overdue , considering his year that he was having . Taylor started struggling after the AllStar break , but Bellinger has been struggling all year and previous to that . I know Bellinger will be playing ahead of others who should be playing , just hope he does what he says The playoffs are a new season and he is ready to start fresh . So I guess all the time he participated in games previous , really didn’t matter , so now he will change and be more productive . I hope he does I really do..
God help us! Our 7,8,and 9 hitters will waste 3 innings for us.That gives us 18 outs to beat the Giants!
Great lineup choice fantastic manager Robert’s. Pollack has been getting back to his old self the past few weeks , can’t hit at all like he had been , can’t run , it was starting to show as I say weeks previous . Bellinger did his normal at bats at least two strikeouts , meanwhile LUX , TAYLOR , on the Bench for BELLINGER TO START every game ,Yeh , right the winningest manager , Robert’s or any one with that much TALENT to play under him , should never lose a game ! Robert’s has no skills as manager , just a good guy , a likeable guy , another person with managerial skills and started the same time as ROBERTS would far EXCEED Robert’s in the win column. Oh ! DODGERS GET SHUTOUT 4 TO 0 .A manager with knowledge would set a fire under the players to bring out the talent being suppressed , motivate them after a bad at bat etc. And most importantly go with the best lineup instead of making those who should be playing bring the moral down , which without the knowledge the rest of the team is picking up on it .