[ad_1]
There’s no denying that Dodgers center-fielder Cody Bellinger has been a shell of his former self since winning the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 2019. The billion-dollar query is: Why? And might it’s fastened?
These are questions the Dodgers might want to attempt to reply within the subsequent 4 weeks or so earlier than they need to finalize their choice whether or not to tender him a contract for 2023. It’s loopy to suppose a former MVP may very well be non-tendered at age 27, however Bellinger’s final three years have been horrendous on the offensive aspect of the ball.
Over at Prospects Stay, Tieran Alexander endeavored to figure out what’s damaged about Bellinger and why. To try this, step one was determining when it occurred. It’s simple to imagine the issue occurred between 2019 and 2020, as a result of Belli was considerably worse the yr after successful the MVP. However Alexander notes one thing fascinating:
Nonetheless, Cody Bellinger nonetheless had a .374 xwOBA that was within the eighty fifth percentile and the second-best yr of his profession. His top-end EVs have been simply as excessive in 2020 in comparison with 2019 and his contact price was really greater. The one factor that regressed was his line drive price and his plate self-discipline. Each of which fell in the usual vary of ebbs and flows over a 60-game stretch.
The subsequent apparent perpetrator is the shoulder injury Bellinger suffered in Sport 7 of the 2020 NLCS. After hitting the house run that despatched Los Angeles to the World Sequence, an ill-advised forearm bash with Kiké Hernandez left Bellinger with a dislocated shoulder, which he would have surgically repaired after the season. Bellinger’s numbers have been horrible in 2021 and never significantly better in 2022.
However as Alexander factors out, through the time between Belli’s shoulder harm and the surgical procedure to restore it, he hit the ball actually arduous.
Nonetheless, there are just a few issues with this clarification. The primary and most distinguished is that after dislocating his shoulder in 2020, Cody Bellinger had a batted ball with a 111.2 MPH exit velocity within the World Sequence. He additionally hit 107.8 MPH and 107.7 MPH in that very same three-game set. All of these batted balls have a launch angle above 0° so it’s unlikely that they’re misreads. But, enjoying with a dislocated shoulder, he had three batted balls tougher than a single one he hit in both 2021 or 2022.
A number of information and video evaluation goes into Alexander’s report, however the perpetrator he lastly settles on is the fractured leg Bellinger suffered early within the 2021 season. Or, extra to the purpose, Bellinger’s persevering with batting observe whereas recovering from the fractured leg.
The danger of Cody Bellinger swinging with the damaged leg wasn’t that his leg will get extra damaged, it was that ache teaches him unhealthy habits.
In brief, Alexander believes Bellinger’s swing mechanics modified drastically whereas his leg was injured, and he’s not coping with the results. His conclusion:
His damaged state doesn’t need to be everlasting, nonetheless. The upside that noticed Cody Bellinger win an MVP nonetheless exists inside him, he simply has to get again to who he was. So how possible is that? That’s not a query I can reply. If we assume Bellinger is completely wholesome now, it nonetheless doesn’t resolve his issues. Muscle reminiscence is a tough factor to vary, and Bellinger has been like this for 2 years now. Is it too late? It’s an actual risk.
He suggests presumably an incentive-laden cope with a decrease base wage than he would in any other case make. In fact, Bellinger must conform to that, so who is aware of if that’s doable.
Take a look at the whole evaluation. Alexander has a ton of photograph and video to again his findings. One factor appears possible from this evaluation, although: It’s not so simple as “Bellinger refuses to make changes.”
Have you ever subscribed to our YouTube Channel but? Subscribe and hit that notification bell to remain updated on all the newest Dodgers information, rumors, interviews, stay streams, and extra!
[ad_2]
Source link
