Dodgers: Cody Bellinger among NL right field gold glove finalists

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 09: Cody Bellinger #35 of the Los Angeles Dodgers makes a catch on the wall on a hit by Howie Kendrick #47 of the Washington Nationals for an out in the fourth inning of game five of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 09, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 09: Cody Bellinger #35 of the Los Angeles Dodgers makes a catch on the wall on a hit by Howie Kendrick #47 of the Washington Nationals for an out in the fourth inning of game five of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 09, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Rawlings released their gold glove finalists today and to no one’s surprise, Dodgers’ MVP candidate Cody Bellinger was among the NL right field finalists.

Today the finalists for Rawlings gold glove awards were released and Cody Bellinger was among the right field finalists.  Bellinger is a gifted athlete and is a plus at any position the Dodgers put him at.  He played right field, first base, and centerfield this season with the most work coming at right field.

The other gold glove finalists for right field in the National League were Jason Heyward and Bryce Harper.  Heyward is a contender for a gold glove every season but the inclusion of Harper is a surprise.  Heyward and Bellinger figure to go head to head for many seasons to come if Cody remains in right field.

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For the 2019 season, Bellinger’s best position was right fielder where he accumulated a DRS of 19 and a UZR/150 rating of 15.3.  In center, Cody posted a DRS of 3 with a UZR/150 rating of 6.2.  Then there is first base where he technically ranked the worst of the three with a DRS of 4 and a UZR/150 rating of -3.1.

In the postseason, Cody has made several spectacular plays in both center and right field and it is his biggest case for the NL MVP award due to a second-half struggle.  In game five of the NLDS, Bellinger made a catch against the wall that kept the Nationals scoreless at the time.

In the postseason the Dodgers moved Bellinger back to centerfield full time due to the injuries to Alex Verdugo and defensive decline of A.J. Pollock.  Going forward it remains to be seen where Bellinger will play the bulk of his innings for the 2020 season.  It could hinge on what kind of additions the Dodgers make this off-season.

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Alex Verdugo figures to play centerfield which could push Belli to right field but if the Dodgers want to get the most out of Bellinger’s defense it would make sense to play him in center.  Cody is one of the fastest players on the team and he has an above-average arm.  He will remain an asset wherever the Dodgers decide to play him.