Dodgers Team News

Dodgers: After Tinkering in Spring Training, Cody Bellinger Spends Time Refining Swing

Heading into the season, Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger was coming off of a mostly down season and offseason shoulder surgery to boot. Over 10 spring training games, the slugger hit only .179 with 3 home runs while he continued a pattern of work on — or tinkering with — his swing.

Before the game on Saturday, Cody talked about that swing and the time he spent refining it while on the injured list. Considering he missed nearly 50 games, there was no doubt plenty of time to work on it.



Too much time to keep working. I’ve had a lot of FaceTime with RVS [hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc)] Bates and Brownie [hitting coach Brant Brown]. And there’s been a lot of down time, so it was nice to go out to Triple-A and get some consecutive games in and get some consecutive at-bats.

In 5 games with Triple-A Oklahoma City, Bellinger went 4-20 (.200) with a pair of homers. Not all that spectacular of numbers after continuing to tinker with that swing. Moreover, in his first game back on the active roster, he went 0-4 with a walk and is now hitting only .174 in 2021.

Related: Cody Bellinger Reveals He’s Not Felt Like Part of the Team in 2021

Surely the season is still very much young for Cody, but for the second year in a row, his continued swing tinkering is leaving some fans feeling uneasy. However, one of his biggest fans, Dave Roberts, feels good about the work Belli has put in.

Obviously, 20-something plate appearances [is] not much of a sample. But I do believe that being healthy, working in Arizona, working on the mechanics part of it as he was rehabbing … he’s in a really good place, mechanically, mentally. No one can predict the results. But I think where he’s at right now is really good.

Undoubtedly, Roberts has earned the trust of fans when he says he likes where a player is at. But also… he says that with most players in most situations.

So really, the jury is still out on Cody Bellinger for the immediate future. But the track record says the numbers will be there.

NEXT: AJ Pollock Heads Out on Minor League Rehab Assignment

Clint Pasillas

Clint Pasillas has been writing, blogging, and podcasting about the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2008. Under Clint's leadership as the Lead Editor, Dodgers Nation has grown into one of the most read baseball sites in the world with millions of unique visitors per month. Find him online on Twitter/X or his YouTube channel!

4 Comments

  1. Still swinging for the fences and concerned about exit velocity= .180 batting average.

  2. Let’s face it. Bellinger hasn’t been the offensive force the Dodgers need him to be since the Allstar break of 2019. He can fiddle with his swing all he wants, but it’s time for him to fish or cut bait.

  3. Oppositions know he’s an easy out when his turns come on. I don’t see anything different from his swing except he has more holes, either up in the zone or down in the zone. All of his swings are missing under the ball, bailing out trying to only pull the ball thus getting called out on LH’s slider and RH’s two seamer. Making adjustments @ first time is hitting it hard up the middle until you feel the groove.

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