Aaron Judge is, deservedly, getting most of the rookie slugger press this season, but there’s another guy out there turning heads: Cody Bellinger.
Bellinger, who was only supposed to be a temporary callup, has stuck with the Dodgers due to both injuries and his production. He’s hitting .261 and getting on base at a respectable .335 clip. His power, however, has been his calling card. Bellinger has 17 homers in only 45 games and his slugging a robust .630.
Last night he hit two homers in the Dodgers win over the Indians last night. But that was far from his first multi-homer game this year. He hit two bombs on April 29 vs. the Phillies, two on May 5 vs. the Padres and two vs. the Reds just the other night vs. the Reds. That, according to MLB, is a record:
.@Cody_Bellinger now has FOUR multi-HR games in his first 45 career contests. He’s the only player in @MLB history to do that. pic.twitter.com/daz5b9kEXH — MLB Stat of the Day (@MLBStatoftheDay) June 14, 2017
More importantly, the Dodgers have caught the Rockies at the top of the NL West standings and have the best record in baseball over the past 45 games. Forty-five games in which one Cody Bellinger has been an integral part of the offensive attack.
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