Dodgers: Bellinger Should Own Left Field

It didn’t take long, but in only 21 games Cody Bellinger has established himself as an everyday starter in the Dodgers’ lineup.  Bellinger is a first baseman by trade but given the presence of Adrian Gonzalez has been playing in left field.

I don’t think the Dodgers had any idea Bellinger would take a grasp of a starting role when they first called him up, but that is exactly what he’s done. Cody has hit cleanup for most of his starts, and that tells you how much the Dodgers believe in him. Even though Dave Roberts and the front office love to play platoon matchups, Bellinger needs to start in left field every day, even against left-handed starters.

In the majors alone, Bellinger is hitting .333 with an on-base percentage over .400 against lefties. While the sample size is only 24 at-bats, Franklin Gutierrez has the same amount of at-bats against lefties, is hitting .292 with one home run against them, and starts whenever they are on the mound. Bellinger has a double, triple, and home run off lefties; it’s only fair if he’s given the same opportunity. He showed in spring training that he is even capable of smashing long home runs off lefties.

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By comparison, Yasiel Puig is only hitting .159 with a .224 on-base percentage against left-handed pitchers. All eight of Puig’s home runs have come off right-handers, so it’s pretty clear that Puig is a better hitter against them.

The Dodgers’ best outfield lineup against left-handers would be Bellinger in left field, Kike Hernandez in center field, and Franklin Gutierrez in right field. While it probably won’t happen too often, Bellinger should start against them. If he doesn’t start in the outfield, he could play first base for Adrian Gonzalez in this scenario.

Bellinger has demonstrated the ability to hit southpaws throughout his career. During his Double-A stint in 2016, he hit .273 off lefties compared to a .260 average versus right-handers. Cody advanced to Triple-A late in the 2016 season and hit two home runs off of a lefty in only three at-bats.

Not only has Bellinger held his own offensively in the majors, but he has also held his own defensively. So far the only error Bellinger has committed came at his natural position of first base. In the outfield, Cody has yet to make a mistake and has even made a highlight sliding catch. While he has experience playing center field in the minor leagues, the Dodgers will most likely play him at the corner spots only.

While Bellinger is not the only Dodger who has started off hot, it is more likely that he will continue to produce at an above-average level. Bellinger’s average exit velocity is 92 miles per hour, which only trails Joc Pederson among Dodger outfielders

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With his big powerful swing, you feel Bellinger is capable of hitting the ball out of the park during any given at-bat. This is why the Dodgers must keep his potent bat in the lineup no matter which hand the opponent throws with.