Cody Bellinger

Cody James Bellinger (born July 13, 1995) is an American professional baseball first baseman and outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was selected by the Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB draft, and debuted with the team in 2017.

The son of MLB player Clay Bellinger, Bellinger helped his team reach the 2007 Little League World Series at the age of 11. He played high school baseball for Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona, and had committed to play college baseball for the Oregon Ducks before he was drafted. Bellinger spent two years in the Rookie Leagues before joining the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in 2015, where he was a mid- and postseason all-star, and helped the team to a California League championship title. A hip injury delayed his rise through the Dodgers’ farm system in 2016, but he was called up to the major leagues in April 2017 to bolster a struggling outfield.

Bellinger, setting a number of Dodgers single-season home run records, participated in both the 2017 Major League Baseball All-Star Game and in the Home Run Derby, and he was named the National League (NL) Rookie of the Year after the season. The following year, he was named the MVP of the 2018 National League Championship Series following an extra innings walk-off single that helped take the Dodgers to the 2018 World Series. Although he received the NL MVP, Silver Slugger, and Gold Glove Awards in 2019, as well as his second All-Star selection, Bellinger did not receive his first World Series title until 2020. A number of injuries to his shoulder, calf, and rib cage, however, caused 2021 to be a career-worst year for Bellinger in home runs and batting average.