Determined to bounce back from a bit of a subpar 2018 campaign, Cody Bellinger started last season on a historic pace that led to multiple records and a National League MVP Award, among other accolades.
He hit a remarkable .404/.487/.783 with 10 doubles, 17 home runs, 44 RBI and 43 runs scored through the first 47 games. Bellinger (and Christian Yelich) joined Albert Pujols (2006) and Alex Rodriguez (2007) as the only players in MLB history with 14 home runs before the month of May.
Meanwhile, Bellinger finished as the only player in the game’s history to record a minimum of 45 hits, 14 home runs and 35 RBI before May. Bellinger’s 47 hits surpassed Alfonso Soriano’s record (46 in 2003) for most prior to May 1, and his 37 RBI surpassed the record Mark McGwire set before to that same date when he had 36 in 1998.
Bellinger’s RBI total also set a Dodgers franchise record for most before May, eclipsing Ron Cey’s 29 RBI during April of the 1977 season. The Dodgers record for hits in March/April also now belongs to Bellinger, as he passed Rafael Furcal (43).
Bellinger additionally shattered the MLB record for total bases before May with 97. The mark was previously held by former teammate Chase Utley, who had 85 bases with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008.
While Bellinger was voted NL MVP in November, it wasn’t until last weekend he received the award at the New York Baseball Writers’ Dinner. His speech included thanking former Dodgers scouting director Logan White, as seen on SportsNet LA:
“I remember my senior year of high school, I was playing first base and I was 160 pounds, and at the end of my senior year I only hit one home run. So after my senior year I really didn’t know if I was going to go to college or get drafted.
“Me and my family came up with a certain number we thought was fair, and in the third round Logan White called me and said, ‘We’re going to take you in the fourth round with this next pick.’ I just want to stand up here and say thank you to Logan White, because he really was the only one out of high school to believe in me and the potential I did have.”
Bellinger also spoke fondly of his family, teammates and clubhouse culture the Dodgers have:
“My teammates, man. We’ve got such a good clubhouse in Los Angeles. They really help me be myself. Playing in Los Angeles, man, we get 40,000 people (at each home game). It really makes it easy to show up to the ballpark every day and be myself, so thank you guys.”
In 156 total games, Bellinger hit .305/.406/.629 with 121 runs scored, 34 doubles, 47 home runs, 115 RBI and 15 stolen bases. He led all of baseball with 351 total bases and was one of six qualified players to post an on-base slugging of over 1.000.
Bellinger became the 12th player in Dodgers history to win MVP, joining Jake Daubert (1913), Dazzy Vance (1924), Dolph Camilli (1941), Jackie Robinson (1949), Roy Campanella (1951, 1953, 1955), Don Newcombe (1956), Maury Wills (1962), Sandy Koufax (1963), Steve Garvey (1974), Kirk Gibson (1988) and Clayton Kershaw (2014).
He additionally took home a pair of 2019 Fielding Bible Awards, a Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger. Bellinger joined Dusty Baker (1981), Russell Martin (2007), Matt Kemp (2009, 2011) and Adrian Gonzalez (2014) as Dodgers to win Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards in the same season.
However, Bellinger became the first in franchise history to win MVP, a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger in the same year.
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