The National League Rookie of the Year award won’t officially be announced until after the World Series, but Cody Bellinger will be your unanimous winner. Sorry to spoil that for you.
Bellinger hit 39 home runs in his rookie season, despite spending nearly the first month of 2017 in the minors. His impact on the Dodgers was immediate, and it was really impressive.
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Los Angeles was just 9-11 before Bellinger’s debut, and no matter what arbitrary stretch of games you look at, the Dodgers were a different team with him in the lineup. They went 13-4 in his first 17 games; 42-15 in his first 57 games; 78-23 in his first 101 contests.
You get the point.
Bellinger talked with Sporting News this week about his memorable rookie year and what he’s learned as the Dodgers prepare to open their playoff experience Friday. Bellinger was doing a round of interviews as a spokesman for MET-Rx.
Here’s an excerpt of the conversation.
SPORTING NEWS: I imagine you’re pretty excited the playoffs have finally arrived.
BELLINGER: Yeah, they’re finally here. I felt like, for us, the last month felt like a whole season, especially because we were struggling. I think everybody was ready for the playoffs to start.
SN: You hit two homers in your fifth game in the majors and then two more in your 10th game. How many times did people tell you, “It’s not supposed to be this easy.”
BELLINGER: Yeah, all year people have said it’s not supposed to be this easy. And, trust me, it’s not. There was a lot of work that went into it. I got hot early and tried to ride that out as long as I could.
SN: When you guys were rolling, what did that feel like inside the clubhouse?
BELLINGER: It felt natural, really. It was weird. We went into the game, every game, expecting to win every single time. We were down four runs in the ninth, and we somehow came back every time. And we felt like we could still be better, which is pretty crazy.
SN: Is there a game during that stretch that sticks out to you?
BELLINGER: For me, it was my fifth game, at home against the Phillies, where we hit those three home runs in the ninth. That was the game where I hit my second home run. For me, that was a confidence booster. I feel like we kind of rolled as a team after that.
SN: And then, after all the winning, you guys lost 16 of 17 games.
BELLINGER: A lot of people thought that the clubhouse was bad. But if you were in that clubhouse during that stretch, you would have thought we were winning every game. I think that goes to the veterans we have who have been through stretches like that. There were just a few bad balls that didn’t go our way in some of those games, and that’s just how baseball works.
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SN: Do you learn anything from a rough stretch like that?
BELLINGER: There have been a few people who have said it’s kind of a good thing we lost those games, see that we’re not invincible, so we’ve still got to work hard and it’s not going to be easy getting there.
SN: Do you think there’s anything to that?
BELLINGER: Yeah, I think so. For sure. I mean, you look at — and I’m going to bring in other sports — but you look at the Warriors, who broke the record during the regular season, and they lost. You look at the Patriots, who went undefeated in the regular season and they lost in the Super Bowl. I think losing a few games keeps you humble.
SN: You played in the Little League World Series and participated in this year’s Home Run Derby. Which one was more intimidating?
BELLINGER: I would say the Home Run Derby. I feel like, in the Little League World Series, you’re so young you don’t even feel the nerves. You’re just having fun. But when I was walking up to the plate to hit, I was kinda looking around, and there’s a lot of people watching your BP.
SN: At least you made it through one round, right?
BELLINGER: Yeah, that’s what I wanted to do. I knew I wasn’t winning it. I wanted to go have fun, and it was a lot cooler than I thought it would be. I had a blast.
SN: There’s just something about a lefty’s swing, and people have talked about your swing since you got to the majors. Is that how it’s always looked?
BELLINGER: I’ve always swung aggressively. There have been a few hitting coaches that have made the right switches to get me where I am now, to where I’m standing straight up, and the barrel’s flat until I swing. That’s kind of how I’ve always hit, but there are little tweaks in there to complete it.
SN: You ever tease your dad about having a sweeter swing than he did when he played?
BELLINGER: I don’t say it much, but I know a lot of people tell him that as a joke.
SN: How nice has it been to have a dad who played in the majors?
BELLINGER: He’s been through it all. He’s been through World Series, he’s been through bad teams. It’s truly a blessing for me. He’s always there. He’s very knowledgeable, so if he’s watching the game he’ll tell me if something’s off, and for the most part he’s usually right. So I’ll go back and watch video and see if he’s right or not.
SN: How often do you guys talk baseball?
BELLINGER: Probably every other day, depending on where we are, East Coast or West Coast, and how late it gets.
SN: Anything he really harps on?
BELLINGER: He tells me every time we talk to keep playing the game hard and keep playing with respect and playing the right way. That’s his biggest thing.
SN: Random, but do you play golf?
BELLINGER: I mean, yeah, but I’m really, really bad.
SN: With that aggressing baseball swing, just wondered. I’m guessing you can hit a golf ball pretty far.
BELLINGER: The only thing I’m good at is driving. Once I get around the green, it’s horrible. I can hit it pretty far, but it doesn’t go straight a lot. I’m a really bad golfer. I shoot like a 115.
SN: Basically only good in a scramble off the tee, eh?
BELLINGER: Yeah. Great scramble guy.
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SN: Another random one: Do people still ask you about the "Seinfeld" moment on the Scott Van Pelt show?
BELLINGER: Yeah, it’s slowed down now, but when it happened it kind of blew up. I shoulda lied. Shoulda lied and said I did.
SN: Ha. What happened?
BELLINGER: I knew he had a show. I thought he was asking if I knew what he did now, and it just kinda got a little twisted. It’s all good, though.
SN: Tell me about the MET-Rx promotion.
BELLINGER: It’s a long baseball season, so for me and for a lot of guys, you need the proper nutrients and ingredients to keep you healthy and keep you on the field. They have everything you want, with protein bars and the proteins.
SN: How long have you been using the product?
BELLINGER: A few months ago. For me, I’m keeping on more weight than I have in the past. That’s progress for me. Usually, I lose a lot of weight during the season.
SN: How do you try and stay away from slumps?
BELLINGER: A lot of video. I don’t know about other teams, but for us, we have video and in-depth scouting reports, and that just goes to our front office. They give us all the information we need or want, and I try to take that and use it as much as I can.
SN: What are you watching? Your swing? The pitcher?
BELLINGER: Before a game, I watch the pitcher. But for me, it’s more about where my hands are. If the hands are in a bad spot, I know I’ve got to switch it up. It’s about knowing your swing, going in the cage every day and knowing you can be consistent.
SN: Are the hands the thing that give you the most trouble?
BELLINGER: Yeah, there’s a few things. It’s hands, it’s feet, and I think that goes for everyone. There’s always going to be little things that get in the way, get you out of whack. To be the player you are, you’ve got to find it early, before you get in too big of a slump.
