Two years faraway from being named the Nationwide League’s Most Helpful Participant, Los Angeles Dodgers outfield Cody Bellinger has seen the wheels fall off in 2021.
If you happen to can consider it, he went from hitting .305 with 34 doubles, 47 homers and 115 RBIs in 2019 to hitting .165 with 9 doubles, 10 homers and 36 RBIs in 2021.
He is been unhealthy, to the purpose that he wasn’t within the on a regular basis lineup on the finish of the common season.
Within the postseason although, Bellinger has been serviceable for the Dodgers, beginning with a powerful Wild Card outing in opposition to the Cardinals (1 for two with a run and two walks), and following up with back-to-back strong outings in opposition to the San Francisco Giants within the now-tied NLDS (although he sat totally in Monday’s 1-0 loss to SF).
For the postseason, Bellinger is hitting .308 with 4 hits, 3 runs, 2 RBIs, 2 walks and a double. In Tuesday’s 7-2 win in opposition to the Giants at Dodger stadium, Bellinger had his first two-hit recreation since Aug. 25, when he had SEVEN at-bats. He is had solely eight video games with two hits all season. And a handful of followers began to note a brand new strategy on the plate — sure, his stance has modified, however so has how excessive up he is choking up on the bat, and much more weirdly, when he is choking up on the bat.
Bellinger, with a 3-2 depend in opposition to Giants reliever Zack Littell, did a reasonably excessive choke-up on the bat in the midst of his at-bat, simply take a look at this:
After the choke-up, he rocketed one at Darin Ruf, who bobbled it again into the dust, then Tommy La Stella scooped it up and made the play to Littell to get Bellinger out.
It was the one time through the at-bat he did the intense, mid-at-bat choke up, and a overview of his earlier ABs (together with one other 3-2 depend) appeared to recommend it is not one thing he is doing each at-bat, however it was actually a sight to see.
Baseball Corridor of Famer Ty Cobb, one of many biggest hitters ever, was an early advocate of choking up (shifting your arms above the deal with of the bat 1-2 inches), however it has usually been a misplaced artwork in in the present day’s recreation. Now it is often reserved for two-strike counts or a game-on-the-line scenario the place that you must advance a runner.
Bellinger, although, appeared to go above even the 2-inch mark, strolling his arms up the bat whereas Littell was getting his signal from Buster Posey. It was bizarre (proper?), however then once more, perhaps while you’re having a career-worst 12 months on the plate, you get a bit bizarre to attempt to determine issues out. Some followers observed, too:
And, it seems to be like, some way back to Saturday (how lengthy has he been doing this??):
Whether or not Bellinger is even within the lineup to strive it once more, we’ll have to attend and see on Thursday, when the Giants host LA in a winner-take-all NLDS affair at Oracle Park. First pitch is about for six:07 p.m.
