Dodgers Cody Bellinger Has Reportedly Gained 15 Pounds This Offseason

Cody Bellinger is coming off a dominant season, which saw him take home the NL Rookie of the Year award. He is reportedly trying to improve on his already tremendous power, and has gained 15 pounds. Don’t be alarmed though, he has gained it through better nutrition and conditioning. This was first reported by Ken Gurnick.

Cody Bellinger said he’s gained 15 pounds since the World Series with a stepped-up conditioning and nutrition program.

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— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) January 11, 2018

After the Adrian Gonzalez trade, Bellinger is firmly anchored at first. Since he won’t be running around the outfield anymore, he’s free to sacrifice some speed for more power. Bryce Harper made a similar decision to add muscle in favor of a better bat. It seemed to have worked for him, as he won NL MVP in 2015. Will the same be the case for the Dodgers’ star first baseman?

Bellinger is heading into his sophomore season, and looks to build on his impressive Rookie of the Year campaign. Corey Seager was in a similar situation a year ago, and didn’t let the pressure of it get to him. Seager had a tremendous sophomore season in 2017, before injuries dragged him down late in the year. Seager batted .295/.375/.479 with 22 home runs and 33 doubles in 2017. His power numbers were down slightly from his rookie campaign, but his elbow injury and time missed played a role in this. Look for Seager to improve even more in 2018 as long as he can stay healthy.

With Cody Bellinger hitting 39 home runs as a rookie, one could wonder why he felt he needed to add muscle. His natural uppercut swing along with great bat speed provided a lot of his power, so adding muscle will only improve it. The important thing for Bellinger now is to continue to improve his approach at the plate. If he can cut down his strikeouts while adding power he could become one of the best players in all of baseball.

The thought of Cody Bellinger adding even more power is a scary one for opponents. With the added muscle and an already solid fly ball swing, he has a real chance to clear 40 or even 50 home runs this season. Adding this to stellar defense makes him one of most well rounded first baseman in the game already, and he’s only 22. We’ll see how the added muscle benefits his game, but just the thought is an exciting one for Dodger fans.