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Dodgers Trends: Cody Bellinger Leading Way With Historic Offensive Showing

Matt Borelli
7 Min Read
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

PAGES: 1 | 2

Trending Up

Cody Bellinger: After enduring somewhat of a sophomore slump in 2018, Bellinger vowed to bounce back in a big way. The 2017 NL Rookie of the Year has responded in historic fashion and currently leads the Majors in runs (32), hits (49), RBI (38), batting average (.412), on-base percentage (.486), slugging percentage (.840) and FanGraphs’ WAR (3.2). Bellinger earned NL Player of the Month honors for April following his video game-like showing

Dylan Floro: Floro is the lone remaining qualified Dodgers pitcher to not allow a run this season. In addition to his 15 innings of scoreless work, he has already accumulated 0.4 WAR (FanGraphs) on the year.

Clayton Kershaw: Though he began the regular season on the 10-day IL, the three-time NL Cy Young Award winner has found success in his short time back with the Dodgers. In four starts, he is 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA, 3.65 FIP and 0.85 WHIP across 26 innings, holding the opposition to a .185 batting average.

Joc Pederson: Earning the bulk of his playing time against right-handed pitchers, Pederson is batting .235/.345/.592 with 10 home runs and 18 RBI in 116 plate appearances. The 27-year-old is one of only two Dodgers players to surpass the double-digit mark in home runs, joining Bellinger.

Hyun-Jin Ryu: Coming off a breakout 2018 campaign, Ryu has built on that success with an excellent start to his 2019 season. He is currently 3-1 with a 2.55 ERA, 3.32 FIP and 0.91 WHIP in 35.1 innings of work (six starts). Though he has already yielded six home runs on the year, the left-hander has made up for it with one of the best strikeout-to-walk ratios in all of baseball: 39-2.

Alex Verdugo: Receiving more opportunities as of late with Pollock being placed on the 10-day injured list, Verdugo is hitting an impressive .329/.360/.576 with four home runs and 17 RBI in 89 plate appearances.

Honorable Mentions

Scott Alexander: The left-handed specialist has thrived in the early going of the 2019 season, pitching to a solid 2.94 ERA in 12.2 innings pitched (18 appearances). Living up to his reputation, he has retired 67.6% of opposing batters via the ground ball — the highest mark on the team.

Russell Martin: Though he has only received 36 plate appearances to date, Martin is reaching base at an excellent clip (.417) and has provided additional value behind home plate with his game-calling. The 36-year-old even has a scoreless inning of relief to his name.

Max Muncy: While he has experienced declines in both batting average and on-base percentage, Muncy is proving that his impressive power display from a season ago wasn’t a fluke. He has already totaled seven home runs on the year behind a .245 ISO and .491 slugging percentage.

Ross Stripling: Again receiving opportunities as both a starting pitcher and reliever, Stripling has embraced his versatile role with the Dodgers. In nine games (six starts), he has compiled a 2-2 record with a 3.22 ERA, 3.59 FIP and 1.10 WHIP over 36.1 innings.

Matt Borelli covers the Los Angeles Dodgers as a staff writer for Dodger Blue and holds similar responsibilities for Lakers Nation, a sister site with an emphasis on the Los Angeles Lakers. He also contributes to RamsNewswire.com and RaidersNewswire.com. An avid fantasy sports player, Matt is a former 2014 MLB Beat the Streak co-champion. His favorite Dodgers moment, among a list of many, is Clayton Kershaw's no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies in 2014. Follow him on Twitter: @mcborelli.