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Cody Bellinger

West Notes: Bellinger, Betts, Smith, Odor

By TC Zencka | April 8, 2021 at 8:06am CDT

Cody Bellinger could be headed to the injured list, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register (via Twitter). He was held out of Wednesday’s game with a sore calf and last saw game action in Monday’s 10-3 victory in Oakland. Mookie Betts played centerfield in his place on Tuesday night, but the reigning MVP runner-up was out for Wednesday’s game with a stiff lower back. Betts could return for Friday’s home opener, however. Still, it might be prudent for manager Dave Roberts to keep Betts in right field for the time being. That would mean more time in center for Chris Taylor. AJ Pollock didn’t see any time in center last season, but he does have eight years of Major League experience at the position. Elsewhere in the west…

  • Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo is moving southpaw Caleb Smith to the bullpen, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter). It’s not yet clear who will take Smith’s spot in the rotation. Zac Gallen is on the mend, but he won’t quite be ready in time for Smith’s turn on Saturday. Taylor Widener lines up for Friday’s game, while Luke Weaver will pitch on Sunday. If they go with a bullpen game, both Alex Young and Taylor Clarke are already in the bullpen and capable of bulk innings. Smith, of course, would also be available out of the bullpen. He gave up three earned runs on five hits and three walks in three innings on April 3rd, his only start of the season.
  • The Rangers had other offers for Rougned Odor beyond the deal they accepted from the Yankees. Other offers had more favorable financial terms, but the Rangers prioritized adding talent, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). Fangraphs had Antonio Cabello as the Yankees’ 23rd-ranked prospect prior to the trade, while Josh Stowers was listed in the “Realistic Bench Pieces” section.
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Arizona Diamondbacks Los Angeles Dodgers New York Yankees Texas Rangers Caleb Smith Cody Bellinger Evan Grant Mookie Betts Rougned Odor Torey Lovullo Zac Gallen

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California Health Notes: Murphy, Ohtani, Bellinger

By Jeff Todd | February 24, 2021 at 8:55pm CDT

Here’s the latest from out west, with a focus on the health situations of a trio of important players …

  • Athletics catcher Sean Murphy is firmly on the mend after an offseason medical scare, Matt Kawahara writes for the San Francisco Chronicle. He discussed his recovery from a collapsed lung, noting that it was quite a bit more terrifying before medical professionals informed him that he could anticipate a relatively swift recovery. Murphy underwent an additional procedure to protect against a recurrence. Though he’s delayed to open spring camp, the top Oakland backstop says he’s “really optimistic” of being fully ramped up in time to get behind the dish on Opening Day. Murphy, 26, will look to establish himself as a first-tier MLB performer after mashing out a .237/.355/.491 slash through his first 200 plate appearances.
  • Angels hurler/slugger Shohei Ohtani is under the microscope as he looks to get his pitching career back on track. As Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reports on Twitter, Ohtani appears to be in a good place from a velocity perspective. The righty says he’s working comfortably in the mid-nineties in bullpen sessions and has touched 97 mph. When last we saw Ohtani in top form, during his brief but scintillating 2018 debut, he was averaging nearly 97 mph with his heater. The hopefully resurgent two-way player is also now toying with a changeup as he fine-tunes his arsenal.
  • Dodgers superstar Cody Bellinger seems to be making a strong bounce back from offseason shoulder surgery, as Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register writes. Bellinger, who memorably dislocated the joint in an over-exuberant NLCS home run celebration, says he’s “way ahead” of the anticipated schedule for his recovery. Given his progress to this point, the 2019 MVP says he’s “100 percent” sure he’ll be ready to roll on Opening Day. That’s obviously quite welcome news for the Los Angeles powerhouse. While the Dodgers are perhaps baseball’s deepest team, there’s no replacing a player of Bellinger’s ability. And the club is facing its sternest intra-division test in some time in the form of a talent-laden Padres outfit.
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Los Angeles Angels Los Angeles Dodgers Oakland Athletics Cody Bellinger Sean Murphy Shohei Ohtani

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Dodgers, Cody Bellinger Avoid Arbitration

By TC Zencka | January 15, 2021 at 1:16pm CDT

The Dodgers and Cody Bellinger agreed to a one-year, $16.1MM contract ahead of today’s arbitration deadline, per MLB Insider Jon Heyman (via Twitter). Bellinger made $11.5MM last season, a record amount for a player in his first year of arbitration eligibility. Bellinger is represented by Scott Boras. As a Super-Two player, Bellinger has two more years of arbitration eligibility remaining before his potential free agency following the 2023 season.

Bellinger’s record salary last season came on the heels of a National League MVP season in which he produced a .305/.406/.629 slash line and 7.1 bWAR. While his Dodgers got over the hump to win the World Series this season, Bellinger posted a mere mortal .239/.333/.455 line at the plate during the regular season. Despite seeing a year-over-year drop from 162 wRC+ to 114 wRC+ this season, the Dodgers saw fit to reward Bellinger with a sizable raise regardless. MLBTR’s Matt Swartz projected Bellinger would have received an arbitration award somewhere between $11.5MM and $15.9MM. The model based on 2020’s numbers alone was definitely too conservative, as he was going to get a raise of some sort, but it’s still interesting to see the Dodgers agree to a number beyond even our highest projection.

While Bellinger’s offensive numbers may have been down, he remained as central as ever to the Dodgers’ efforts. The 25-year-old led all of baseball with eight outs above average while manning centerfield for the Dodgers, which the Dodgers certainly could include in their valuation of Bellinger, even if arbitration panels don’t typically overly weigh defensive metrics such as OAA.

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Los Angeles Dodgers Newsstand Transactions Cody Bellinger

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Health Notes: Honeywell, Chapman, Bellinger, Elias

By Steve Adams | December 17, 2020 at 8:23pm CDT

Rays prospect recently Brent Honeywell underwent a staggering fourth elbow surgery since his last in-game appearance back in 2017, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. The latest operation, however, was an arthroscopic procedure to alleviate some mild discomfort and is not expected to impact Honeywell’s readiness for the upcoming 2021 season. Optimistic prognosis notwithstanding, the mounting number of arm injuries for Honeywell, once touted as one of he game’s premier pitching, is increasingly troubling. Honeywell has previously undergone Tommy John surgery, had surgery to repair a fracture in his elbow and undergone an ulnar nerve decompression procedure. He’s still just 25 years old (26 in March) and has a career 2.88 ERA with 9.9 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9 in 416 professional innings.

Some more health/injury updates from around the game…

  • Athletics third baseman Matt Chapman is “full speed ahead” after surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right hip ended his 2020 season prematurely, manager Bob Melvin told reporters Thursday (Twitter link via Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle). He’s expected to be a full participant in Spring Training. Chapman’s agent, Scott Boras, indicated this week that he’d likely be ready for Spring Training, but it’s all the more encouraging to hear prominent members of the A’s organization making similar declarations. Chapman belted 10 homers in 152 plate appearances this past season, but he was clearly dogged by the injury, as evidenced by a career-worst 35.5 percent strikeout rate (up from 21.9 percent in 2019).
  • Cody Bellinger’s rehab from last month’s shoulder surgery is ahead of schedule, Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts said in a Zoom call with reporters Thursday (Twitter link via Jorge Castillo of the L.A. Times). At the time of the surgery, it was reported that he’d need about 10 weeks to recover, although Roberts stopped short of proclaiming Bellinger ready for Spring Training, instead merely stating that the team hoped he could be “somewhat active” early in camp. Bellinger is expected to serve as the Dodgers’ primary center fielder again in 2020, which shouldn’t come as a surprise after he was named a Gold Glove finalist in 2020.
  • Free-agent left-hander Roenis Elias will throw for teams this Sunday in Texas as he looks to show that he’s put his a season-ending flexor strain behind him. The 32-year-old Elias didn’t pitch in 2020 after he opened the season on the Covid-19 list and then sustained that flexor strain when ramping back up. Sent from Seattle to D.C. at the 2019 trade deadline, Elias only pitched three innings for the Nats due to a hamstring injury. He was sharp with the Mariners from 2018-19, however, working to a 3.12 ERA and 3.84 FIP with 7.3 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and 0.83 HR/9 in 98 innings of relief.
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Los Angeles Dodgers Notes Oakland Athletics Tampa Bay Rays Brent Honeywell Cody Bellinger Matt Chapman Roenis Elias

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Cody Bellinger Undergoes Right Shoulder Surgery

By Connor Byrne | November 17, 2020 at 4:41pm CDT

Dodgers outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger has undergone surgery to repair a disclocated right shoulder he suffered celebrating a Game 7 home run in the NLCS, Jeff Passan of ESPN reports. Bellinger will need 10 weeks to recover, but he should be OK by the time spring training starts next year.

Bellinger incurred the injury after what proved to be a series-deciding homer – a two-out solo shot during what was a 3-3 game at the time. The Dodgers went on to preserve their 4-3 lead to advance to the World Series. Despite his discomfort, Bellinger played in the Fall Classic – a series Los Angeles won over Tampa Bay in six games – and collected three hits (including a home run) against the Rays.

Prior to the playoffs, Bellinger did not enjoy a banner regular season, as he was unable to defend his 2019 NL MVP honors. The 25-year-old slashed .239/.333/.455 with 12 home runs and six steals in 243 plate appearances, though he did post a far better second half after a disappointing start to the campaign. As long he’s healthy in 2021, Bellinger seems likely to pick up where he left off down the stretch.

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Los Angeles Dodgers Cody Bellinger

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Gold Glove Nominees Announced

By TC Zencka | October 22, 2020 at 3:20pm CDT

The 2020 Rawlings Glove Glove Award finalists have been released, with the Cubs netting the most nominations with seven. The Mets, Nationals, Phillies, Brewers, Rays, and Red Sox were shut out.

The awards for defensive prowess will be handed out based on defensive metrics alone this year, since managers and coaches weren’t able to see players outside their regional bubble. Moving to a metrics-based system, even for a year, certainly make for interesting television, especially since these awards can make an impact on arbitration cases. Considering the uncertainty of a 60-game season, awards could carry greater weight than usual in those proceedings, thought that’s just speculation. Without further ado, here are this year’s nominees:

AL Pitcher

  • Griffin Canning (LAA)
  • Kenta Maeda (MIN)
  • Zach Plesac (CLE)

NL Pitcher

  • Max Fried (ATL)
  • Kyle Hendricks (CHC)
  • Alec Mills (CHC)

AL Catcher

  • Yasmani Grandal (CHW)
  • James McCann (CHW)
  • Roberto Perez (CLE)

NL Catcher

  • Tucker Barnhart (CIN)
  • Willson Contreras (CHC)
  • Jacob Stallings (PIT)

AL First Base

  • Yuli Gurriel (HOU)
  • Matt Olson (OAK)
  • Evan White (SEA)

NL First Base

  • Brandon Belt (SF)
  • Paul Goldschmidt (STL)
  • Anthony Rizzo (CHC)

AL Second Base

  • Cesar Hernandez (CLE)
  • Danny Mendick (CHW)
  • Jonathan Schoop (DET)
  • Nicky Lopez (KC)

NL Second Base

  • Adam Frazier (PIT)
  • Nico Hoerner (CHC)
  • Kolten Wong (STL)

AL Third Base

  • Isiah Kiner-Falefa (TEX)
  • Yoan Moncada (CHW)
  • Gio Urshela (NYY)

NL Third Base

  • Brian Anderson (MIA)
  • Nolan Arenado (COL)
  • Manny Machado (SD)

AL Shortstop

  • Carlos Correa (HOU)
  • J.P. Crawford (SEA)
  • Niko Goodrum (DET)

NL Shortstop

  • Javier Baez (CHC)
  • Miguel Rojas (MIA)
  • Dansby Swanson (ATL)

AL Left Field

  • Alex Gordon (KC)
  • Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (TOR)
  • Kyle Tucker (HOU)

NL Left Field

  • Shogo Akiyama (CIN)
  • David Peralta (ARI)
  • Tyler O’Neill (STL)

AL Centerfield

  • Byron Buxton (MIN)
  • Ramon Laureano (OAK)
  • Luis Robert (CHW)

NL Centerfield

  • Ronald Acuna Jr. (ATL)
  • Cody Bellinger (LAD)
  • Trent Grisham (SD)

AL Right Field

  • Clint Frazier (NYY)
  • Joey Gallo (TEX)
  • Anthony Santander (BAL)

NL Right Field

  • Mookie Betts (LAD)
  • Charlie Blackmon (COL)
  • Jason Heyward (CHC)

Nicky Lopez of the Royals was originally left off the list, but he is in fact a nominee at second base, one of four nominations at the keystone in the American League. It’s the only position with four nominations.

There are a few other interesting things of note. Perennial candidates like Andrelton Simmons and Matt Chapman did not make the list this year due to shortened seasons, nor did last season’s Outs Above Average leader Victor Robles. Both Gurriel brothers earned nominations this year, with the younger Lourdes (LF) joining perennial candidate Yuli (1B).

There are also a couple of largely part-time players that made the cut, like Hoerner of the Cubs and Mendick for the White Sox. Neither was the everyday second baseman, but they did reach the inning minimum of 265 total defensive innings. They qualified at second because that’s where they played the most innings. Mendick, for example, registered just 226 innings at second, but with 27 innings at third and 15 at shortstop, he ended the year with 268 total defensive innings played.

Catchers required a minimum of 29 games, which is how we got a pair of White Sox catchers making the top-3. Pitchers had to throw a minimum of 50 innings.

The winners will be selected using the SABR Defensive Index and announced on November 3rd, per sabr.org.

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Kansas City Royals Television Adam Frazier Alec Mills Alex Gordon Andrelton Simmons Anthony Rizzo Anthony Santander Brandon Belt Brian Anderson Byron Buxton Carlos Correa Cesar Hernandez Charlie Blackmon Clint Frazier Cody Bellinger Danny Mendick Dansby Swanson David Peralta Evan White Griffin Canning Ian Anderson Isiah Kiner-Falefa J.P. Crawford Jacob Stallings James McCann Jason Heyward Javier Baez Joey Gallo Jonathan Schoop Kenta Maeda Kolten Wong Kyle Hendricks Kyle Tucker Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Luis Robert Manny Machado Matt Chapman Matt Olson Max Fried Miguel Rojas Mookie Betts Nicky Lopez Nico Hoerner Niko Goodrum Nolan Arenado Paul Goldschmidt Ramon Laureano Roberto Perez Ronald Acuna Shogo Akiyama Trent Grisham Tucker Barnhart Victor Robles Willson Contreras Yasmani Grandal Yoan Moncada Yuli Gurriel Zach Plesac

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Injury Notes: Dodgers, Bellinger, Giants, Ramos

By TC Zencka | October 19, 2020 at 2:18pm CDT

It’s a rest and recovery day around baseball now that the World Series matchup is set. We’re a day away from the final 4-to-7 games of baseball! But before the action kicks off, let’s take a quick moment to check on a couple of injury notes…

  • Cody Bellinger expects to be fine for the World Series after popping his shoulder out of its socket while celebrating his 7th-inning home run, per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. Bellinger stayed in the game and did not appear to be limited in the field – nor did he appear concerned as he mimed the injury from the grass in center. The shoulder was “sore, but functional,” per DiComo, who also notes that Bellinger has dealt with this injury more than a few times over his career. Said Bellinger, “I’m going to maybe use my left arm. I’ve never dislocated that one.” Granted, Bellinger was riding high in that particular moment, having hit the game-winning home run to take his team into the World Series, but especially given his familiarity with this type of injury, it seems extremely unlikely to threaten his availability next week.
  • Giants prospect Heliot Ramos injured his oblique during instructional league play, per Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. Ramos should be good to go for spring training, with the only real concern stemming from the fact that he suffered a similar injury back in February. Ramos is the Giants presumptive centerfielder of the future, who could theoretically compete to make the major league roster as soon as next season. Their first round pick (19th overall) in the 2017 draft, the 21-year-old raked to the tune of .306/.385/.500 in High-A in 2019. Along with Joey Bart and Marco Luciano, Ramos forms part of a strong core of Giants positional prospects hoping to make an impact on the next strain of San Francisco playoff teams. Ramos made it as high as Double-A in 2019, a level he would have theoretically repeated at least to start the 2020 season (had there been one).
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Los Angeles Dodgers Notes San Francisco Giants Cody Bellinger Heliot Ramos

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Carlos Correa Defends Jose Altuve’s MVP, Astros’ 2017 Title

By Anthony Franco | February 16, 2020 at 8:54am CDT

As the Astros have bungled their apologies for the sign-stealing scandal that has dominated this offseason, Carlos Correa has perhaps been the organization’s most forthright member. In response to the most recent backlash around the game, Correa came out with a passionate defense of the organization- and teammate José Altuve– in an interview with Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic.

“José Altuve was the one guy that didn’t use the trash can,” Correa told Rosenthal. “The few times that the trash can was banged was without his consent, and he would go inside the clubhouse and inside the dugout to whoever was banging the trash can and he would get (upset). He would get mad. He would say, ’I don’t want this. I can’t hit like this. Don’t you do that to me.’ He played the game clean.”

“The reason José Altuve apologized to the media was for being part of the team and for not stopping it,” Correa continued. “But he’s not apologizing for using the trash can. He’s not apologizing for cheating because he did not cheat … José Altuve earned that MVP, and he’s been showing that for years.”

Correa’s defense of Altuve came in response to Cody Bellinger, who sounded off on the scandal Friday. Bellinger argued the Astros “stole” the 2017 World Series from the Dodgers and that Altuve “stole an MVP from (Aaron) Judge.” Bellinger also referenced the unsubstantiated rumors that Astros’ hitters wore electronic buzzers the last few years, made famous by Altuve’s refusal to take off his shirt after his 2019 ALCS-clinching home run off Aroldis Chapman. The Astros have categorically denied using buzzers, and Correa doubled down on that yesterday.

“2019, nobody wore buzzers. That’s a lie,” Correa told Rosenthal. He continued, “(Altuve) hit that home run off Chapman fair and square. He was not wearing buzzers. That’s a story that a fake account on Twitter broke, and then people just got on that wagon and started talking about the buzzers. Like, no. Nobody thought about buzzers. Nobody was using buzzers.”

Instead, Correa gave a pair of explanations to Rosenthal for Altuve’s unwillingness to have his shirt ripped. First, he says, Altuve’s wife had previously told him not to remove his shirt on the field. Somewhat comically, Correa added that Altuve was embarrassed about a “horrible” unfinished collarbone tattoo he wished to keep hidden from public view.

To be clear, Correa did not shy away from all criticism related to the scandal. He admitted to Rosenthal that hitters who used the trash can system in 2017 gained an improper, unfair advantage over opposing pitchers. (In that respect, he disagreed with Astros’ owner Jim Crane, whom Correa says “doesn’t know what kind of advantage we have…because, from afar, it looks hard“). Rather, his defense of the organization’s legacy lies in their postseason success.

Correa argued that the club often struggled to decode signs from the center field camera during the postseason due to opposing teams’ improved countervailing efforts, citing numerous key hits he claims were unsupported by sign stealing. That not every hit was sign stealing-aided, even if true, isn’t enough to say definitively that the Astros would or wouldn’t have won the 2017 World Series without the scheme, though.

Additionally, Correa pointed to the commissioner’s office finding no evidence the club continued the sign stealing efforts in 2019. Last year’s AL pennant, the shortstop argued, was “clean baseball all around.” Of course, some fans and opposing players will roll their eyes at that assertion; the organization has hardly earned the benefit of the doubt on this issue.

Yet Correa’s most passionate defense seemed to be of Altuve, in particular. Clearing his double play partner’s name, it seems, was the main impetus for Correa’s interview with Rosenthal, which is worth reading in full.

For what it’s worth, signstealingscandal.com, which attempted to log every trash can bang during Astros’ 2017 home games, recorded bangs on just 2.8% of pitches (24 bangs on 866 pitches) thrown to Altuve, never more than two in any particular game. These, again, were against Altuve’s wishes, according to Correa. That’s clearly not definitive proof Altuve didn’t participate in the scandal (and as both Correa and Altuve admitted, he deserves some blame for doing little to stop it). Nevertheless, it’s at least partially supportive of Altuve’s legacy and the legitimacy of his 2017 MVP.

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Houston Astros Los Angeles Dodgers Carlos Correa Cody Bellinger Jose Altuve

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Quick Hits: Record Contracts, Springer, Realmuto, Robot Umpires, Royals Front Office Changes

By TC Zencka | January 11, 2020 at 10:07am CDT

It was a busy filing day around baseball, with multiple arbitration records topped and 20 unresolved cases headed towards hearings if deals aren’t brokered in the coming days. Two notable record highs carried the day for players, noted MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. Cody Bellinger took home the highest-ever salary for a first-time arb-eligible player, while Mookie Betts’ one-year, $27MM deal eclipsed Nolan Arenado’s previous record figure for a single season salary under the arbitration umbrella. Some significant battles loom, however…

  • George Springer will join the list of the top ten richest one-year contracts no matter how his case is resolved. J.T. Realmuto, meanwhile, has elevated his case to the level of political statement as he tries to set a new market for all catchers, per @fntsyradio host Craigh Mish. Yasmani Grandal made a similar case last year in justifying his decision to accept a single season deal in Milwaukee over a multiyear offer from the Mets. Hard to know if Grandal moved the line for everyone, but it certainly paid off for him.
  • It’s time to cede the battle against robot umpires, per The Athletic’s Jayson Stark. “This. Is. Happening,” writes Stark, and perhaps as early as 2022. The mental games used to inch the strike zone this way or that has long been a tool of the game’s best – from the hitters whose impeccable eye define it, to the pitchers’ whose pinpoint control push to expand it – but an automated zone will all but abolish the in-game politicking of the strike zone, giving hitters a new advantage they have long been without: certainty. Robot umpires will define the strike zone with better precision than their carbon-based forerunners – but first the humans must decide what they want that strike zone to be. For those particularly fond of strike zone drama, appreciate it now, because deciding on the parameters of the automated zone might be one of the last great strike zone debates before the robots take over.
  • The Royals announced a number of changes to their baseball ops department on Friday, mostly in the form of new hires and promotions (Nick Kappel of Royal Rundown provides the full list). Notables include Rustin Sveum, son of Dale, promoted to minor league video coordinator, former Tampa Bay Ray Damon Hollins returned for an 11th season in Kansas City as the Coordinator of Outfield, Base Running, and Bunting, and the famously high-stockinged Jason Simontacchi named Pitching Coordinator after two years assisting the role.
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Arbitration Records Kansas City Royals Cody Bellinger George Springer J.T. Realmuto Mookie Betts Nolan Arenado Yasmani Grandal

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Dodgers Avoid Arbitration With Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager, Enrique Hernandez

By Jeff Todd | January 10, 2020 at 5:55pm CDT

The Dodgers have struck a record-breaking arbitration deal with outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). Bellinger is said to have a $11.5MM pact, topping the prior record (Kris Bryant, $10.85MM) for a first-time arb-eligible player.

Other top performers have also reached deals. Corey Seager will play at a $7.6MM salary. And utilityman Enrique Hernandez will earn $5.9MM, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register (Twitter link).

Bellinger lands right at the projection of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. As Matt explained in a closer look, though, there was an argument for the reigning NL MVP to earn even more. He’ll still end up setting a new high-water mark for arbitration rookies by a fairly healthy margin.

Entering 2019, Bellinger had already established himself as a high-quality hitter and versatile defender. But he took things to a whole new level in his age-23 season, slashing a hefty .305/.406/.629 and launching 47 home runs while delivering big value on the bases and with the glove.

The projections were also close for Seager ($7.1MM) and Hernandez ($5.5MM). Both players were at less than top form in 2019 but remain key contributors — at least, unless they end up being shuffled out of the deck with a spring trade.

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Los Angeles Dodgers Newsstand Transactions Cody Bellinger Corey Seager Enrique Hernandez Kris Bryant Mike DiGiovanna

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