Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star Cody Bellinger had a breakout season in 2019, winning the National League MVP Award and helping lead the team to a franchise-record 106 wins in the process.
Not only did Bellinger have an outstanding offensive season, hitting .305/.406/.629 with 47 home runs, 121 runs scored and 115 RBI, but he also got it done on the defensive side as well.
After Yasiel Puig was traded to the Cincinnati Reds last offseason, the Dodgers decided to make Bellinger their everyday right fielder. While he still played some first base and center field, Bellinger seemed to have found a home in right, winning his first career Gold Glove Award.
Bellinger’s versatility has allowed him to move around the diamond throughout the course of his career though, and that will again be the case in 2020. The Dodgers acquired another Gold Glove right fielder in Mookie Betts this offseason, so Bellinger will now be the team’s primary center fielder this season.
It’s a position that Bellinger is familiar with, and he explained during a “Connected With…” episode on SportsNet LA why he is excited to play there on a full-time basis:
“I like center field. I’m excited to get out there in batting practice and get reads. I’m excited to play center field this year. … You can roam, you can show off the speed a little bit. There’s a lot of ground to cover out there, and I think it’s fun. The game is right in front of you, so you can see Walker Buehler or Kershaw just carving dudes up. It’s pretty cool.”
With Bellinger in center field, Betts in right and Joc Pederson and AJ Pollock expected to platoon in left, the Dodgers should have one of the best outfields in baseball in 2020 on both sides of the ball.
While he may have won a Gold Glove in the corner, the competition in center is much greater so it will be interesting to see if Bellinger is able to earn his second award this season.
Even though the plan is to be an everyday center fielder, it would not be surprising to see the 24-year-old move around a little and play some first base too considering how much the Dodgers value his versatility.
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