Morning Bellinger

 

It's been fascinating following two of the best hitters of the late 2010s as they struggle to reestablish themselves in the early 2020s. This year we've seen Christian Yelich return to his former self after several seasons of struggling, but as for the guy who stopped him from getting his second consecutive MVP in 2019? He's...definitely improving.

It's no secret the Dodgers weren't happy with Cody Bellinger's three post-MVP campaigns with them. From 2020 to 2022, Bellinger hit 41 home runs. Remember, he hit 47 in 2019 alone. He also has a combined 1.0 WAR in this stretch, a shadow of his 16.7 WAR in his first three seasons. It's still not quite certain what caused this drop-off, whether it was pandemic-related, LA-related, or if he just peaked early. But when the Cubs picked him up prior to the 2023 season, they were taking a flyer on Bellinger. He may have something left, he may not, we'll just have to see. One of the other big 'flyer' signings of 2023, Nelson Cruz, was just DFA'd by the Padres. So the fact that Bellinger is still on the Cubs, let alone that he's hitting .280 for them, is a good thing.

Bellinger doesn't have the heft he had back in the day, he only has 7 homers, but he's beginning to show the old levels of versatility. Bellinger has stolen 10 bases, the 2nd-most on the team. He also has a .793 OPS, the second-highest on the team [behind Christopher Morel]. Bellinger is relying more on his contact abilities, as he's had 56 hits in 53 games. He's striking out a bit less as well. That may be due to the fact that he's missed a month with injuries, but I'm taking the blessing where I can get it. Bellinger has a 1.5 WAR so far, the third-highest among hitters, and he is a reliable, modest piece of this slowly growing Cubs lineup. He is not the power hitter he was in 2019, but he's also not terrible like he was the last few years.

Honestly, having lower-key Bellinger as a role-player is better for the real stars of the team, like Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson and Christopher Morel, as they can hit their marks and be the hero without being overshadowed by 'oh what did this big former MVP do or not do this week?'. With all Bellinger's done this year, the pressure's off of him a little, and thereby off the team. There are a few 'unsinkable' types that have sunk a bit, mainly people like Seiya Suzuki and Patrick Wisdom, but this is a pretty tight unit with a lot of versatile pieces, and the fact that Bellinger can fit into this Cubs team rather than standing out in the wrong way [like he did in LA] is a very promising sign.

The Cubs are a very good team that have struggled mightily against other divisions, and against their own. The pieces are there, but for every excellent stretch like they had in mid-June, there's stretches where they get swept by the Phillies or beat up by the Guardians. I do think they're a better team than a lot of teams in front of them, and should be luckier than they are, but it's not in my hands, and it's really down to whether this team can show up when they need to. And so far they haven't.

There's murmurs the Cubs are gonna sell at the deadline, and that Stroman, Smyly, Gomes and even Bellinger might be on the way out. I kinda hope they don't, but if this is how they get past their current stumbles, more power to them. I just hope that if Bellinger does go, he goes somewhere he won't stand out too much.

Coming Tomorrow- A great player who's fallen into a great deal of luck in the last few days as far as ASG plans are concerned.