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Dodgers: Five best positional players over the past decade

By Jeffrey Bellone

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 27: Yasiel Puig #66 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after hitting a three run home run during the sixth inning of game four of the 2018 World Series against the Boston Red Sox on October 27, 2018 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 27: Yasiel Puig #66 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after hitting a three run home run during the sixth inning of game four of the 2018 World Series against the Boston Red Sox on October 27, 2018 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MD – SEPTEMBER 12: Cody Bellinger #35 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 12, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /

3) Cody Bellinger

Cody Bellinger would be at the top of this list if he had played in a few more seasons. The player who closed the decade as the National League’s Most Valuable Player is on a trajectory to become one of the greatest Dodger hitters of all-time. But with only three seasons under his belt, he ranks third behind two players who have had their own superlative seasons along a larger sample of games in the 2010s.

In just three seasons, Bellinger ranks fourth among Dodger players in home runs (111), sixth in RBIs (288), and sixth in wins above replacement value (15.4). His .559 slugging percentage is tops among qualified Dodger hitters since 2010. He has been an absolute hitting machine since breaking into the majors in 2017.

The 24-year-old can do more than just hit the baseball a long way; he is also a Gold Glove outfielder. Using advanced statistics, he ranked as the second best defensive right fielder in baseball last season. His fielding runs above average (FRAA) of 15.4, just above his new teammate, Mookie Betts.

By the end of the next decade, it will be fascinating to see where Bellinger ranks among the Dodgers all-time leaderboards. While a lost 2020 season could impact his chase toward history, his incredible start has put him on a pace to possibly hit 500 home runs in his career.

He only played three seasons over the past decade for the Dodgers, but his performance places him among the best players of the past decade.

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