Spearheading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a hot start this season, Cody Bellinger was named National League Player of the Week for the period of March 31-April 7. It’s the third time Bellinger has received the honor, with the previous instances coming during his rookie campaign.
The 23-year-old started in each of the seven games during the period he was recognized for, going 13-for-29 with 13 runs scored, two doubles, one triple, four home runs and 11 RBI. He hit .448/.484/1.000 during that stretch.
Overall this season, Bellinger leads the Majors with seven home runs and 18 RBI. The 2019 season has been nothing short of historic for the Dodgers’ everyday right fielder. Per STATS, since RBI began being tracked in 1920, Bellinger and Willie Mays (1964) are the only players with seven homers and 18 RBI in the first 10 games of a season.
Prior to that, Bellinger joined Atlanta Braves’ Eddie Mathews (1953) and New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez (2007) as the only players in Major League history with six home runs and 16 RBI through the the first eight games.
Bellinger additionally additionally holds the Dodgers franchise records for most home runs and RBI in eight games. When Bellinger hit a grand slam off San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner last week, it gave him 69 career home runs.
That broke Mike Piazza’s Dodgers franchise record for most home runs in the first 300 games of to start their career.
“I think if you’re feeling good mechanically, the mental aspect allows yourself to see more pitches. Just confidence is pretty big,” Bellinger recently said of his record-setting start to 2019.
