After months of staredowns and false alarms, Cody Bellinger has finally agreed to a deal with the Chicago Cubs. Despite super agent Scott Boras’ continuous pressure, the deal was worth 3 years for $80 million – a far cry from the $200 million expectations. So how come a guy who became an MVP at just the age of 23 couldn’t get a great long-term deal? The answer lies in the injury history of Bellinger.
2019 was supposed to be the beginning of a potential hall-of-fame career for Bellinger. However, in a shocking twist, it turned out to be his peak. Ever since then, the slugger hasn’t been able to match that performance. Partly because of injuries and partly owing to a rushed comeback.
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The initial struggles of Cody Bellinger – How they affected his play
The year was 2020 and Cody Bellinger was entering the season on the back of an MVP season. In a pandemic-shortened season, Bellinger hit 12 homers and had an average of .239. It was a far cry from the 47 homers and .305 of 2019. The worst came when in game 7 of the NLCS, after hitting a home run, Bellinger celebrated a little too passionately. That led to his first major injury – a dislocated shoulder.
Still, Bellinger managed to play all 6 games in the World Series. His swing was still powerful – he hit a ball with 111.2 Exit Velocity during that time. But things were about to change for Cody Love as instead of taking more time, he rushed towards his return. This led to Bellinger’s downfall in 2021. Then came another injury – a fractured left fibula.
Simultaneously, Bellinger also had a hairline fracture in his left leg. This effectively put him on the injury list for 2 months, but more importantly, it impacted the way this slugger operated. When Bellinger returned, his stance had changed slightly. No longer was he tucking his legs in. Now they were wide apart – this again reduced his hitting power.
All of this led to Bellinger having two of his worst seasons in 2021 and 2022. With OPS+ of just 64, Bellinger was struggling. The LA Dodgers recognized this regression and ended up non-tendering him.
More struggles until the arrival of the Chicago Cubs
Between 2021 and 2022, Bellinger also injured his hamstring twice, his ribs, and his leg. So when Belli got non-tendered, not many teams wanted to take a chance on him. That’s when the Chicago Cubs came in with an offer. Soon Cody Love was a part of the Wrigley Field and it was there that he regained his confidence. After a few years in the wilderness, in 2023 Bellinger slashed .307/.356/.525/.881.
There was a minor scare in May 2023 when Bellinger injured his knee after a spectacular play against the Houston Astros. However, luckily for him, it wasn’t so serious, but it again proved that the highly physical playing style of Bellinger made him prone to injuries. So is it a surprise that he got a short-term deal from the Cubs?
Written by
Edited by
Deepanshi Bajaj