Dodgers’ top prospect Bellinger arrives
04/25 Dodgers at Giants, 7:15 p.m.
Kiké Hernández CF
Corey Seager SS
Justin Turner 3B
Yasiel Puig RF
Adrián González 1B
Yasmani Grandal C
Chris Taylor 2B
Cody Bellinger LF
Clayton Kershaw P
by Rowan Kavner
The Dodgers’ top prospect and baseball’s top first-base prospect has arrived.
Cody Bellinger, the Dodgers’ fourth-round selection in 2013 whose OPS sits at 1.055 through 18 games at Triple-A Oklahoma City, had his contract selected Tuesday and is set to make his Major League debut.
Bellinger, who called it “a dream come true,” told reporters he found out the news around 2 a.m. Monday night.
“Once I got off the phone, I called my parents,” Bellinger said. “I think they started crying on the phone, so it was a pretty cool moment for me.”
To make room on the active roster, the Dodgers optioned outfielder Brett Eibner, who had been recalled Monday when Joc Pederson went on the disabled list with a groin strain. To create room on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers designated pitcher Joe Gunkel for assignment.
While Bellinger is the top first base prospect, his defensive skill set goes beyond that position. The Dodgers are shorthanded in the outfield with Andre Ethier (10-day disabled list) and Franklin Gutierrez (10-day DL) still sidelined and Pederson going to the 10-day DL to start the week.
The vast majority of Bellinger’s innings this year with Oklahoma City have come at first base, but he’s also logged 17 innings in center field and nine in left field, getting plenty of work at those two spots as he’s worked his way up the Dodger farm system since 2013.
And wherever he goes, the power follows.
Now in his fifth professional season, Bellinger has posted a .343/.429/.627 slashline with five home runs, four doubles and 15 RBI in 18 games with Oklahoma City, continuing his Triple-A power display from September 2016, when he mashed three home runs in three games for Oklahoma City.
Bellinger launched 30 home runs in his lone season at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga in 2015, also adding 33 doubles and knocking in 103 runs. It was then on to Double-A and Triple-A action in 2016, spending more time in the former, hitting 23 home runs in fewer than 400 at-bats for Tulsa.
He’s posted a slugging percentage better than .500 each year since 2015, but he can also move for a 6–4, 210-pound first baseman. Bellinger’s recorded at least eight stolen bases each of the past three years, and he’s already stolen seven bases without getting caught in 2017.
Bellinger’s promotion comes after the 21-year-old started 2017 ranking in the top 10 in the Pacific Coast League in home runs, RBI, runs, stolen bases, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS.
Plus, the lefty has shown an ability to hit both righties and lefties. While he’s only recorded nine plate appearances against left-handed pitchers this year, Bellinger was just as strong against lefties last year (.284/.348/.578) as he was against righties (.266/.370/.484).
In his first big-league game, he’ll be playing behind Clayton Kershaw and will see a lefty in San Francisco’s Ty Blach, who’s stepping in for the injured Madison Bumgarner.
Interestingly enough, Bellinger signed his contract exactly 59 years to the day Don Drysdale’s contract was approved.