Cody Bellinger was the breakout star in the National League last year in winning MVP honors. Could he repeat? Here are two props available to wager at Mybookie on Bellinger’s 2020 MLB season – assuming there is one – and an overview.
Cody Bellinger MLB Awards Odds & Analysis For 2020 Season
- Most home runs of any batter: Bellinger is +1400
- NL MVP Award: Bellinger is +1000 to repeat
Cody Bellinger certainly deserved to win NL MVP honors in 2019 as he ranked among the NL leaders in batting average (.305, 9th), OBP (.406, 3rd), slugging percentage (.629, 2nd), OPS (1.035, 3rd), total bases (351, 1st), home runs (47, 3rd), runs (121, 2nd), RBI (115, 7th), walks (95, 6th) and extra-base hits (84, 2nd).
Bellinger’s 47 home runs ranked as the third highest single-season total in franchise history, behind only Shawn Green (49, 2001) and Adrian Beltre (48, 2004). He also tied for second among outfielders with 22 defensive runs saved and tied for fourth in the NL with 10 outfield assists.
Bellinger became the fastest Dodger (401 games) to reach 100 home runs on Aug. 2 against the Padres. He surpassed Mike Piazza, who accomplished the feat in 422 games. Over the past 10 seasons only Joey Gallo (377 G) and Giancarlo Stanton (400 G) have reached 100 quicker.
The lefty reached base in 28 of his last 31 games, including a 16-game on-base streak from 8/24 to 9/10, where slashed .231/.403/.442 with a trio of doubles, a triple, two homers and six RBIs. He surpassed Gil Hodges’ and Duke Snider’s 25 round trippers to own the most home homers in Dodger history after launching his 26th on Sept. 18.
Bellinger became the first Dodger to reach 100 RBIs since Adrian Gonzalez accomplished the feat in 2014 (116 RBIs). He also became the 38th player in Major League Baseball history to reach the 30-homer plateau prior to the All-Star break. He was the 19th player in the NL to reach the mark and the only the Dodger to reach 30.
A Dodger had never hit at least 45 home runs, with a 1.000 or better OPS and steal at least 15 stolen bases and tally a WAR of at least 9.0 before Bellinger reached all those numbers last season. There have only been 10 seasons like it in Major League history, and the names on that list are legendary: Babe Ruth (1921), Willie Mays (1955), Barry Bonds (1993), Ken Griffey Jr. (1996, 1997), Larry Walker (1997), Alex Rodriguez (2005, 2007) and Albert Pujols (2009).
From 2018 to 2019, nearly every number went up for Cody Bellinger. Except for one very important number. Bellinger went from a 23.9% strikeout rate to 16.3%. The 7.6% improvement was the best in the National League among batters with at least 400 plate appearances in each season.
Cody Bellinger joined Johnny Bench, Fred Lynn and Dustin Pedroia as the only players to collect MVP, Gold Glove and Rookie of the Year awards before turning 25. Bellinger also won a Gold Glove as outstanding National League defensive right fielder in 2019. Bellinger beat out Bryce Harper of the Phillies and Jason Heyward of the Cubs.
He was the Dodgers’ first Gold Glove winner since pitcher Zack Greinke in 2015, bringing a close to the team’s longest Gold Glove drought since Cesar Izturis and Steve Finley won in 2004 to end a five-year hiatus. Bellinger was the first Dodgers outfielder to win the award since Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp in 2011.
Primarily a first baseman until 2019, he played 115 games in right field, 36 in center field and 25 at first base. He committed three errors in the outfield for a .990 fielding percentage, which led the league’s right fielders. He ranked eighth overall in defensive WAR in the NL and third among outfielders.
If there’s a knock on Bellinger’s season, it’s that so much of his production came in the first half, and particularly in March where he batted .431 with 14 home runs. Beginning in June, he batted .280 or lower in each month, and he batted just .261 in the second half.
This offseason, the Dodgers and Bellinger avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $11.5 million contract. It was the largest contract given to a first-time arbitration-eligible player, breaking the previous record of $10.85 million by Kris Bryant. Bellinger’s new salary is more than 19 times larger than the $605,000 he made in 2019.
