On Saturday morning, Cody Bellinger becomes the latest Los Angeles Dodgers player to be featured on MLB Network’s ‘Play Ball’ series. The episode airs at 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. PT.
The weekly show highlights MLB stars who discuss their path to reaching the Majors, provide advice to young kids and share their tips in one-one-demonstrations. Naturally, for Bellinger, that means talking hitting with the show’s host, Kevin Millar.
Bellinger explains how he instructs coaches to pitch him during batting practice, and the challenges that come with facing pitchers who throw with high velocity.
Plus, the unanimous 2017 National League Rookie of the Year winner touches on the multiple nicknames he earned while putting together a historic campaign. While he didn’t debut until April 15, Bellinger went on to lead the Dodgers in multiple offensive categories.
He finished the season batting .267/.352/.581 with 26 doubles, 39 home runs and 97 RBI, and set the Dodgers’ all-time home run record for a rookie, surpassing Mike Piazza’s total of 35 in 1993.
In addition, Bellinger broke the NL rookie home run record of 38, previously held by Wally Berger (1930) and Frank Robinson (1960). Despite the expectations placed on him and previous players’ track records, Bellinger said he’s not worried about a proverbial sophomore slump in 2018.
