Dodger fans have watched Cody Bellinger for the past couple of seasons now and many have concluded that “he doesn’t listen to his coaches,” “he is not coachable,” “he is stubborn,” and many other superlatives that may come to mind. After less than 30 at-bats, they have condemned Cody Bellinger to the baseball bone pile.
The same is true with Andrew Heaney – he is already being counted upon to be worse than he was last season… and that was pretty bad! He has a 5.83 ERA last year and right about now his Spring ERA sits at 16.88. Yeah, he sucks. What a waste of $8 Million – what was Andrew Friedman thinking? He sure is a dumbass…
Uh, would you like to bet REAL MONEY on that? See… Andrew Friedman has something of a pretty damn good track record in areas like this. Well, of course, he is not perfect, but he has thought it through about 57 different ways. It takes “dumb money” to go against AF. The “smart money” is on him.
Does that mean that I think everything is just “peachy keen”? Does that mean we should not worry? Well, I don’t think everything is peachy keen, but I also do not worry. Let me put this into perspective: Old Habits Die Hard and Progress is not Linear! In the case of Cody Bellinger, undoing a year or more of bad habits is hard. Changing your swing in practice is OK, but in real-live action, when you have to think “now how am I supposed to do this?” does not always work. The changes are only going to work when he is able to implement them unconsciously. When it is in his head, his confidence is not high. As you can surmise… this takes time. I think Cody can be successful with any of the swings and stances he has utilized, but he just needs to stick with one unconsciously. Repetition is his friend.
Andrew Heaney is learning a new pitch as well as grips on his old ones. Change is tough and old habits die hard. When he has to think, he is likely going to “over-think.” Did I mention that change is hard? Heaney will get six to eight starts to prove what he can do. As I have often mentioned, his stuff does not equal his production. It’s a high-risk, high-reward move, but this is not a sprint. It’s a long season.
For the record, I am not betting on Heaney, but I would not be surprised if he is DFA’ed or if he wins 12 games. I am betting on Bellinger, but even if he is a bust along with Heaney, have no fear! Tyler Anderson takes Heaney’s place, or maybe David Price, or maybe Ryan Pepiot, or maybe Landon Knack, or Dustin May, or Danny Duffy… I can go on and on. If Bellinger totally tanks, Chris Taylor, Gavin Lux, AJ Pollock, and Mookie Betts are real-time options. However, fixing bad habits, or just old habits takes time.
Dodger News
- Tony Gonsolin was beaten like a rented mule last night. It should have been so much worse! I am not in the least worried about him.
- It is very obvious that Gavin Lux has throwing issues in the infield. Time to name him an outfielder full time? Sometimes I see such ability in him and other times I see a deer in the headlights.
- Shawn Manaea just upped his price with last night’s performance. I wouldn’t mind having him, but the A’s are asking for people with names like Miller and Vargas.
- Noisy had 3 hits for the A’s last night. Geeeezzzz! He couldn’t jump out of a boat and hit water with the Dodgers – now he’s Pete Rose.
- Tommy Kahnle is supposed to pitch on Saturday for the first time in nearly two years. Both Kahnle and Phil Bickford are being brought along slowly. Maybe May for them… It just opens the door for Mitch White, Reyes Moronta, and Garrett Cleavinger.
- Tyler Anderson looks like a #5 starter.
- Zack McKinstry and Andy Burns were sent packing to OKC. Solid guys – no room!
- I don’t think Edwin Rios is going to let anyone pull the wool over his eyes. He’s making this team!
- Here’s where I will be the first week of May: https://www.craftbrewersconference.com/ I’ll lift one for you Watford
- Another night game tonight with the Guardians!
Discussion (20)
Disagree, not disagreeable
What frustrates me about Bellinger is his year end stance was showing good progress. He had the same struggles last year after returning from his bone break, lots of strikeouts, lots of tweaks. When he finally hit rock bottom, he stripped it down to a little leaguer stance: choking up, bending the knees and his strike zone, and holding the bat more vertical with hands level and back elbow up. That’s basically the first stance we’re taught. Plus, he started two strike protecting for seemingly the first time in his career. If I recall correctly, he introduced that swing on Sept 11th and would hit around .225% the rest of the way. Not earth shattering but significantly better than .158% he had prior to the square one stance. Then he hit .353% in the post season and brought the same swing to spring training and had two hits thru the first two games before going down this road of daily tweaks.
Maybe the stripped down approach isn’t comfortable to him and he couldn’t live with it. Presumably, it’s the stance he worked with all winter so I guess he’d know by now. I’d argue any change to your motor patterns are going to be uncomfortable for awhile, but worth the aggravating adjustment period if it gives you a better chance for success. Or maybe he determined he’d use spring training to try a variety of approaches since it’s just practice. Fair enough. I’m not sure why he’s still trying to crush with two strikes while in a slump, but, again, it’s just practice I guess. I see he’s slowing going back the more vertical bat over the last two games with marginal improvement, so maybe going full circle was always the plan.
Dodgers are going to need a productive, at peace Bellinger to win a WS. The lineup is still predominantly hot/cold hitters and they can’t afford Bellinger to be an instant out all season, but more than that, the team needs his personality-the fun going one who brings energy and life to a veteran team. That was a missing component to last year’s team, as they often looked beat up and listless. Guys like Puig, Verdugo, Kiki, Joc all brought a certain energy and life to the team, and Bellinger does too when he’s content. He’s basically the last of the Mohicans in that respect, until we start graduating some prospects. Maybe our new bench unit can insert some of that this year.
Can Lamb play CF? Asking for a friend
What did I tell youaboutLux?
Have you noticed that Gavin Lux seldom has a throw on the money?
I’ve been a Bellinger fan from the beginning, and really feel his pain. I’ve never faced major league pitchers, but in college, we routinely faced 90-95 mph with some nasty stuff mixed in. As a lead off hitter, I learned how to make contact … don’t think I ever took a full swing. As I’ve watched Cody, one would think that he would hit the ball further when he actually did make contact. That’s not been the case. Several other team mates have hit longer balls, with less effort. It’s a little like driving the golf ball … the hardest swing rarely works. I would really like to see him shorten up, make contact, get his confidence back. The way the defense gives him the left side … a push bunt would be a double with his speed!
Confirmed Lineup
RF Mookie Betts R
2B Gavin Lux L
LF AJ Pollock R
3B Max Muncy L
CF C. Bellinger L
SS H. Alberto R
C A. Barnes R
DH Edwin Rios L
1B Jake Lamb L
SP David Price L
Has anyone here ever listen to LA sports radio? I just had the misfortune of tuning into it, and it was incomprehensible.
The only people who know what is going on in Bellinger’s mind are Belli, the three hitting guru’s the Dodgers employ and his manager. Maybe his mom and dad too. Not one single fan has a clue what he is doing daily or how he looks on the backfields. Let the real games begin, and maybe the switch gets flipped. I care less if he strikes out 40 times in spring. First long ball he hits that wins a game, and fans will love him again. Remember this, he got the game winning hit in game 5 of the NLDS, he hit a 3 run shot against the Braves that brought them back from elimination, and he hit the game winning homer in game 7 of the 2020 NLCS.
EI could run down the. Menu of adjustments that I expected from Bellinger, starting last January. I could list them now but that horse has left the barn.
There are a number of things I’ve mentioned before but if he wants a quick visual, just throw in some Freddie Freeman video. And watch his head. You will not see an 18 inch head drop to get into his launch position. You won’t see him swing 100% every hack.
You will see and actual trigger to load his hands. You will see a balanced stance that has some knee and hip flex so he doesn’t have to drop his head. You will see him with less moving parts and therefore on TIME. You will see his hands to the baseball with the goal of driving the ball to left center.
I hope Bellinger comes around but he’s not going to AAA for anything but a “rehab” assignment after a fake stint on the DL. The affiliation? The inability to make contact and a broken psyche.
Evan Longoria expected To miss six weeks. It’s a blow for the Giants, as the 36-year-old Longoria enjoyed a resurgent 2021 campaign at the plate when he batted .261/.351/.482 with 13 homers and 17 doubles in 291 plate appearances. A shoulder sprain kept the former Rookie of the Year and three-time All-Star out of action for two months over the summer, however, and Longoria will now endure another absence of note thanks to this latest injury. He’ll likely be sidelined into mid-May.
Bellinger has the most AB of any Dodger this Spring – they are giving him some run to try to work the bugs out. It isn’t working (yet). Most of the Dodger hitters have gotten off to a slow start this Spring. Betts hitting .125 (only 8 AB), Pollock hitting .077, Muncy .154.
The difference between Bellinger and the others is that he hasn’t had a really good season since 2019, and last year was historically bad. He has more to prove at this point than Pollock, Betts or Muncy do.
Bellinger is now must see TV. He is not only striking out he is missing the ball by a foot. No foul tips. He is more of a fan than I am of him right now. What is strange for me is that I always felt he had good contact skills when he just wanted to put the ball in play. I also thought that a hitter should strive to make consistent contact before shifting to the big swing.
I think Lux has been taking good swings. I prefer him to be the regular second baseman to start the season. Muncy is hitting .154 and Justin .200, Taylor .231.
It isn’t because Lamb is hitting well so far this Spring that is impressing me. It is because his swing is said to be back to where it was when he was at his best with AZ. He has been good in the past which means he has a good chance to be more than a spring training phenom.
Rios can back up first and third. I want him on the team. He could be the lefty hitting stud that makes up for Bellinger’s bat and lack thereof.
Oakland, no matter how many times they trade their best players away, always field a competitive team. What if they roll the dice again and win again. That dice roll could be Rios, Lamb, Grove, Jackson for Montas?
* Nice to get my first look at Diego Cartaya last night. Great looking 6’3″ athlete. He looked reasonably comfortable behind the dish. One thing I didn’t especially like is he has his throwing hand hanging loose at the bottom of his chest protector, with a man on. I might move that behind his thigh, like he does with nobody on. I’ve seen catchers put that meat hand in a soft fist right in the middle of the chest protector claiming it’s safe there. Maybe it’s safer where he has it but it seems vulnerable to a foul tip. I’d like it outta there completely. It’s unusual where he has it.
* Spring training can certainly matter to the youngsters trying to make an impression, before they start their year in the minors. You could see how much it mattered to Drew Evans last night after he hit his grand salami. The smile is likely on that face for awhile. No doubt his biggest baseball moment in his life, to date.
* David Price is definitely the new Bigfoot.
* Pillar made a great catch in right. Alberto a great pick at 3rd. Rios looks great. So let’s do some ciphering on the position guys:
Catchers: Smith, Barnes
First: Freeman
Second: Muncy, Taylor
Short: T. Turner
third: J. Turner, Rios
Left: Pollock
Center: Bellinger
Right: Betts
That’s 11 guys. For my money, Alberto and Pillar make the club.
With the expanded roster to 14, that leaves one spot between Lux and Jake Lamb. Yup I have Lux on the bubble. And I like Lamb’s lefty bat right now over Lux’s.
I think there has been great competition for roster spots this spring which will improve our bench over last season.
* Staying healthier would be nice.
It’s funny how so many fans wanted to get rid of Kenley Jansen. So he is gone and MLB has the Braves as the #1 Bullpen with Kenley as their closer.
Dodgers are #8.
We will see how that plays…
I have been predicting a comeback season for Cody if he continued his hitting approach as he used during the playoffs. It looks like that might not happen. I’ll wait and see how he decides on which one of the several hitting stances/approaches he chooses to use. If his hitting woes continue this season then there’s a good chance he will be traded. I think this possibility increases if the Dodgers come to terms with Trea Turner in the near future. How many nine figure players can the team afford? With Pages soon to arrive on the scene why would the Dodgers give Cody a $100-200M long term contract? Cody is so talented and athletic it would be a crime to see that never fully develop those talents. I’ve been critical of him in the past because of those abilities possibly being wasted. Let’s hope for the team, fans, and more so for Cody that doesn’t happen.
Bellinger is thinking too much up there. You can see that when he stares at strikes in the zone and swings wildly at sliders in the dirt.
Yeah, I understand the coaches are working with him, and non-linear progress and all that, yada yada, but it seems he’s been working on and constantly changing his swing for the last three years. How long does it take? Why isn’t he working on the muscle memory of his new swing in the batting cage from November through February? Why is he trying to figure this out a week before the season starts?
Not too concerned with Gonsolin. It looked like he was trying to throw the fastball and curve a lot just to practice with it.
Here’s my spicy starting pitcher take. Urias will be a UFA in 2024. Buehler will have his walk year in 2025. Do you sign both? Both will require lots of $$$ in a long-term deal to keep. How much can the Dodgers spend? They can’t sign everybody to long term expensive deals.
Buehler will be 30 when he’s a free agent. Urias will be 27 in his free agent year.
Here’s my 2026 rotation:
Urias
Bobby Miller
Dustin May
Tony Gonsolin
Maddux Bruns
My concern for Bellinger goes way beyond 30 spring training ab’s. He was bad in 20 and epically horrible in 21. I’m rooting for him but the odds of him returning to an all star level look bleak! I’d love to be wrong tho! Rios is not only making this team but we need to find him consistent ab’s. Lux would be better suited for OKC and playing consistently and coming back up when Pollock or JT get hurt.
Okay, as Mark says often, it’s spring training. Shouldn’t get overly excited one way or the other.
As for Andrew Heaney, the lockout probably set him back more than most. The Dodgers are making some changes and it’s taking him longer to adapt. The shortened spring hasn’t helped. The lack of interaction prior no doubt contributed. So it’s wait and see. Can he make the adjustments, gain confidence and pitch like $8 million?
I’m hopeful for Cody Bellinger. I think he is listening to the myriad of hitting advisers the Dodgers employ. Because he’s healthy Cody apparently believes he can return to his old form. Maybe he can. But this is more or less a make or break season. Hopefully he starts hot and continues to climb. Confidence is a key. Trusting the process without results may derail him, human nature and all. Too many opinions may clutter his thinking.
Sports journalism has always been different, a mix of opinion and straight news. It’s not like covering a planning commission meeting.
Honestly, I think Guardians is a dumb name for a sports team, especially for an MLB team. The only way to save it is to make Rocket Raccoon the mascot. That would add some punch.
Once again people are talking about Trevor Bauer. Good old Rob Manfred and MLB need to resolve this today, not tomorrow or next week or next month. Otherwise, he should be fired. Probably should be canned either way.
Yes, Tyler Anderson and Edwin Rios have been impressive. The Dodgers do have some depth.
After last night’s two strikeouts in two at bats, Bellinger is looking more and more like the batting version Steve Blass. Blass was an ace pitcher for the Pirates in the 70’s and one day, for no reason, just lost his ability to pitch.
Are you kidding me? Tyler Anderson No. 5 starter? He looks like the Ace of this staff!
Do the Dodgers need a new hitting coach? Maybe they should pay the A’s to fix Belli after what they did for Nuese.
It was nice getting one in the W column. Too bad the starting lineup did little to help.
After reading Bauer’s complaint regarding The Athletic, I’m completely disgusted with the state of journalism in this country. I recently thought about restarting my subscription with them, I’m glad I didn’t. I won’t be giving them any money any time soon after reading that they had the medical report and made false allegations that contradict what was in the report.
I’m more excited about Eddie Rios than any other hitter on the team. Can we find a way to get him, Freeman and Lamb in the same lineup? His swing on that oppo bomb last night looked effortless.
Drew Avans was shocked that he hit that Granny. It was fun watching him run those bases.
For some reason, I don’t like night games in the Spring.
Just 9 more days for them to flip the switch.