Editorials

Dodgers: Cody Bellinger and a National League MVP Race Update

Dodgers slugger Cody Bellinger has had a phenomenal 2019 season. He leads the team in most offensive categories, and is top-10 in baseball in several major statistics (including home runs).

All season long he’s heard MVP chatter surrounding his name. Moreover, he’s heard plenty of “MVP” chants from his home crowd. While the first half of the season could very well have netted him the NL honors running away, the second half of the season has set up some real competition.



Anthony Rendon, Ronald Acuna Jr. have firmly entrenched themselves alongside Belli in the NL MVP race. Additionally, season long co-leader, and reigning MVP Christian Yelich will still garner some votes even though he’s injured and done for the season. Any of these 4 could hear their names called during award season after the World Series. Add to that Mets’ super rookie Pete Alonso and his dark horse candidacy.

Where Bellinger stands alone is actually alongside his team. The Dodgers are the first team to have reached 100-wins in the National League, and that could be added to Bellinger’s NL MVP case. While every player mentioned above has a team in the playoff picture in some way, Cody is arguably the best player — or most valuable player — to the best team in the NL.

Cody Bellinger has 164 hits this season in 151 games. He’s added 118 runs, 46 home runs, and 114 runs batted in. In just 151 games, Bellinger has surpassed 100 runs and runs batted in, which is an impressive feat on a team with so many key players. On top of that, Bellinger is batting .302 with an OPS of 1.032 and 161 wRC+.

His 8.6 bWAR is the best in all of baseball.

The Other Candidates

Anthony Rendon has 172 hits in 140 games. He’s hit 34 HR’s, 114 runs, and 120 RBI’s. Rendon has had a consistent season as well, and the Nationals are currently fighting for a Wild Card spot. He is batting .325 and has an OPS of 1.020. Rendon could sneak in as the front-runner, but as of now, he is a close second to Bellinger.

Ronald Acuna Jr. is another young and promising star. The Braves are currently first in the NL East, with 96 wins. Acuna Jr. has had 175 hits in 155 games. He’s also added 41 HR’s, 101 RBI’s, 127 runs. The 127 runs scored leads all MVP candidates. He’s batting .280 with an OPS of .884 mostly out of the leadoff spot for Atlanta.

Less than two weeks ago, Christian Yelich fractured his right knee cap, and was ruled out for the season. He finished the regular season with 161 hits, 100 runs, 44 HR’s, 97 RBI’s and a batting average of .329, in 130 games. Yelich and Bellinger were in a virtual tie at one point for NL MVP, but now, with Yelich out for the season, he will not get as many votes as he would’ve if healthy, which is unfortunate with to the great season he had.

Finally, Pete Alonso is a true dark horse candidate. He is a rookie, and has a very bright future. The slugger burst onto the scene with New York and has done nothing but drop bombs. The Home Run Derby winner has 150 hits, 98 runs, 50 HR’s (!), 115 RBI’s, while batting .264, and an OPS of .952. Alonso will likely win NL Rookie of the Year, and could be a future MVP.

With a fair and unbiased approach, who has your vote?

Levon Satamian

My name is Levon Satamian. I am currently attending Cal State Northridge, and majoring in Broadcast Journalism.

8 Comments

  1. Uh seriously. Bellinger dropped out of this race months ago. His.production the past several month has not even been close to MVP worthy. He sits 4/5 right now.

  2. YOU’RE SUCH A HAITER…. AND NOT A PERSON THAT HAS PLAYED NO LINDA OF SPORTS. THESE COUCH ATHLETES BE KILLIN ME!…. DON’T HAIT ON CODDY BECAUSE HE’S NOT ON YOUR TEAM..???

  3. There was an interesting article few days ago comparing Cody Bellinger’s number before and after the first 47 games:

    First 47 Games: .404 /.487 / .783
    Since then: .260 / .343 / .470

    .260 / .343 / .470 are not MVP numbers. MVP is given to players to finish the season strong, not the other way around. Yes, Cody’s had a great year, but he’s not the MVP of the NL this year. Acuna Jr., Alonso, and Rendon all outplayed him during second half of the season. He’s batting .300 now, he will likely drop to .285 by end of the season.

  4. It’s a close race but Bellinger has to be your winner! His defense and base running ability just adds to his offensive numbers!

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