Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger enjoyed a rookie season for the ages that included many accolades and honors along the way.
The 22-year-old shattered the National League rookie home run record with 39 and was selected to his first All-Star team. Furthermore, he took home unanimous NL Rookie of the Year honors and placed ninth in MVP voting.
Now entering his sophomore campaign, Bellinger looks primed for sustained success as the centerpiece of the Dodgers’ lineup. He gained 15 pounds of muscle during the offseason to help withstand the grueling workload of a 162-game regular season.
As part of MLB Network’s “30 Clubs in 30 Days” series, Bellinger discussed his hitting approach with analyst Kevin Millar, and revealed that he studies the opposing pitcher’s shoulder while in the batter’s box:
“Everybody out of the bullpen is throwing 97 and I think that’s why it’s so crazy to watch hitters nowadays produce these numbers that they’re producing, because it’s so impressive against the stuff that we’re facing now. But for me, I kind of keep my eyes on the pitcher. I like looking at their shoulders just because every pitcher has a shoulder. I don’t want to look at something else in case it’s not there in that stadium. So I like to go in there, lock in on the pitcher’s shoulders and then I can just focus down on seeing where the ball’s going.”
Last season, Bellinger had a knack for producing in late-game situations — particularly coming through with clutch home runs in the latter innings.
Perhaps his most memorable was during a June 13 contest against the Cleveland Indians, when Bellinger hit a go-ahead home run against vaunted left-handed reliever Andrew Miller.
He followed suit with a three-run home run in the ninth inning against another tough left-hander in Boone Logan to cement a Dodgers victory.
