Cody Bellinger was widely considered a lock fo National League MVP through much of the first half of the 2019 season. However, as the Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star began to experience some regression, the door opened for other candidates.
Bellinger’s primary competition came from Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich, who of course was last year’s MVP. Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon also entered into the conversation as he helped spark a midseason turnaround.
The three wound up NL MVP finalists and the likes of Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. remained on the periphery. Acuña wound up finishing fifth in MVP voting and throughout the year saw firsthand how much of an impact Bellinger can have.
As DodgerBlue.com continues to rank the best highlights from Bellinger’s MVP season, No. 6 recognizes his highlight reel that came at Acuña’s expense. It began May 8 when Bellinger made a diving catch to rob the Braves’ dynamic outfielder of an extra-base hit.
Hakuna Matata. It means no worries. pic.twitter.com/ziV7hua6Xj
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 8, 2019
Making the catch all the more impressive was it came a handful of days after Bellinger dislocated his right shoulder on a diving play at first base. The Dodgers at that point decided they would primarily keep him in the outfield in effort to safeguard against the injury.
Months later, with Bellinger playing center field, he made a shoestring catch to again take a hit away from Acuña.
Give Cody Bellinger a Gold Glove pic.twitter.com/T248wDkEcB
— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) August 18, 2019
Acuña attempted to return the favor the following day but he was unable to corral the ball on his leap at the wall in center field, resulting in a three-run home run for Bellinger.
Cody Bellinger takes the MLB lead with home run No. 42. pic.twitter.com/MFLhL7rFvR
— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) August 18, 2019
While it gave Bellinger the MLB lead at the time, he ultimately finished fourth in homers with a career-best 47.
Best Cody Bellinger Plays From 2019 NL MVP Season
No. 7: Grand slam off Madison Bumgarner
No. 8: Throwing out Brandon Crawford and setting MLB record in same game against San Francisco Giants
No. 9: First multi-home run game of the season
No. 10: Home run on bobblehead night
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