Dodgers News: Andrew Friedman Believes Cody Bellinger Should Be Able To Return to All-Star Form
The struggles of Dodgers center-fielder Cody Bellinger have been well documented over the past few years, and some of the documentation has even been accurate. One thing that has become obvious this offseason, though, is that the Los Angeles front office doesn't buy into the popular narrative that Belli's struggles are due to a lack of caring or an unwillingness to make adjustments.
Los Angeles president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman thinks last offseason's lockout had a huge impact on Bellinger's performance, as he wasn't able to work with the team's coaching staff when he was still trying to re-find his form after the injuries of the previous two seasons. As Bill Plunkett reports in the Orange County Register, Friedman is hopeful Belli can figure things out with a regular offseason working with the team.
And last year’s lockout prevented the Dodgers from working with Bellinger on his strength or his swing during the offseason. That isn’t the case this year and Friedman said Bellinger has been “talking through things” with the team’s hitting coaches as well as the strength and performance staff.
“I think it’s always easier in the offseason than it is in season,” Friedman said. “In an alternate universe of no lockout last year, would it have played out differently? I don’t know the answer. But at least do as much as we can over the offseason. His desire and willingness to attack it is not a question at all in my mind.”
The real question remains whether the Dodgers are willing to wager millions of dollars on Bellinger’s ability to reverse his offensive decline.
“From a talent and work ethic standpoint, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be able to,” Friedman said.
Bellinger is just 27 years old and just three years removed from an MVP season, so it would be hard for the Dodgers to just give up on him. The only question is whether that would be harder than paying about $17 million to a guy who has hit horribly the last two seasons. But it sounds like the team might bet on the "talent and work ethic."
