Cody Bellinger's return to the Bronx will turn back the clock.
He was one of the kids running around the field after World Series games in 2000 and 2001, when his father's Yankees were beating the Mets and losing to the Diamondbacks in the World Series.
Clay Bellinger is a utility man with a 5- or 6-year-old son who grew up in a house in the upstate, and Cody also played in the nursery room for players' families at the old stadium.
Could Cody's return to the Bronx also turn back the clock to 2019, when he won National League MVP and disrupted baseball with the Dodgers?
There's a lot to ask of a player who sank into the 2021-22 season as one of the worst hitters in baseball, but has bounced back to being a modest but solid hitter over the past two seasons.
But Bellinger believes he can still be the slugger he once was.
Dating back to 2019, he hit 47 home runs and posted a 1.035 OPS.
“I think it's in the tank,” Bellinger said on Zoom Thursday, two days after being traded from the Cubs to the Yankees. “Then you never know the future, and I try not to set numbers for the future. I just want to go out there and play the best baseball I can be, playing defense, running the bases, and helping the team win.” is.”
The Yankees would be happy to accept the 2023-24 version of Bellinger, but at least there is evidence that more will come from his bat and more from his glove.
Bellinger told manager Aaron Boone that he is ready to play anywhere and that his defensive skill set is one of the most outstanding in baseball.
He is the club's regular center fielder and could also be an above-average glove that pushes Aaron Judge to right field. He could become the regular left fielder if Jason Dominguez claims center field. He could become a mediocre first baseman if the Yankees don't upgrade on the fly.
Bellinger gives the club flexibility on how to proceed with the rest of the offseason.
He also offers an advantage that few on the market have, especially in his new home ballpark.
Bellinger, who has played his home games at Wrigley Field for the past two seasons, has elevated his value after a lackluster 2021-22 season following shoulder surgery. The one-time MVP admitted that his dramatic decline was both mental and physical, but he re-emerged in Chicago as a healthy and different hitter.
Over the past two seasons, he has hit 26 and 18 home runs, respectively, while his contact numbers have increased significantly and his strikeout rate has plummeted.
Last season, his batting average was .266 and his OPS was .751, which was a slight decline, but this was probably due to the pitcher-friendly batting environment at Wrigley Field. He posted a .797 OPS on the road and a .700 OPS at home.
Now, the left-handed slugger, who tends to pull the ball, will play 81 games on the short porch in right field (plus six games at the Rays' similarly sized Steinbrenner Field).
“I don't want my mood to be influenced by the elements on the field, whether it's a cold day or a hot day, the wind blowing or blowing.'' said the 29-year-old, who acquired Cody Poteet for a corresponding amount. “That’s how I stay calm.
“But on the other hand, I’m definitely excited.”
