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Cubs’ Cody Bellinger, healthier and more confident, embraces return to Los Angeles

April 15, 2023

Chicago Cubs center fielder Cody Bellinger, right, greets his former teammate, Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy, before their game on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. It was Bellinger’s first game against his former team since signing with the Cubs as a free agent in the offseason. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw, center, holds his son Chance as he talks with former teammate Chicago Cubs center fielder Cody Bellinger prior to a baseball game Friday, April 14, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Chicago Cubs center fielder Cody Bellinger, left, hugs Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts, his former teammate, before their game on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. It was Bellinger’s first game against his former team since signing with the Cubs as a free agent in the offseason. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Chicago Cubs center fielder Cody Bellinger, left, laughs with Dodgers relief pitcher Brusdar Graterol as the former Dodgers teammates talk before their game on Friday at Dodger Stadium. It was Bellinger’s first game against his former team since signing with the Cubs in the offseason. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Chicago Cubs center fielder Cody Bellinger hugs Stan Kasten, president and part-owner of the Dodgers, before their game on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. It was Bellinger’s first game against his former team since signing with the Cubs as a free agent in the offseason. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Chicago Cubs center fielder Cody Bellinger, right, talks with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts before their game on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. It was Bellinger’s first game against his former team since signing with the Cubs as a free agent in the offseason. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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LOS ANGELES ― The ending to Cody Bellinger’s Dodgers career was so abrupt, he never got the courtesy of a “hug watch” in the dugout, let alone a proper goodbye from each of his teammates.

The hugs flowed freely for the 2019 National League Most Valuable Player on Friday at Dodger Stadium. Bellinger spent the entire Dodgers’ batting practice embracing former teammates, coaches, executives, broadcasters and cameramen in between rounds on the field before the Dodgers played Bellinger’s Chicago Cubs for the first time in 2023. He was all smiles.

It was a refreshingly new look for Bellinger, 27, who often wore his struggles on his face in 2021 and 2022. Bothered by injuries to his shoulder and foot, Bellinger batted .193 over the two seasons, with 29 home runs in 239 games.

While he still provided superb defense in center field, Bellinger’s struggles at the plate made his departure less than a complete shock. The Dodgers did not tender him a contract after last season, then watched him sign as a free agent with the Cubs for $12.5 million in December. He’s eligible for a $25 million team option after this season, or a $5 million buyout.

Did Bellinger think he would be a Dodger forever?

“At one point for sure, you know?” he said. “Life is not always planned, as we all know as we grow older. God works in mysterious ways. I just try to be in the moment and appreciate what comes next for me.”

It’s early, but there are signs that Bellinger is returning to the form that endeared him to Dodgers fans and made him a fixture in the middle of the lineup. His swings and misses are down. His batting average is up to a modest .238 through Thursday.

That’s still a far cry from the hitter he was in his “prime.” From his age 21-through-23 seasons, Bellinger batted .278 and averaged 37 homers and 96 RBIs per season. In addition to the MVP award, he was the Rookie of the Year in 2017 and NL Championship Series MVP in 2018.

Bellinger also batted .412 in the 2021 NLCS against Atlanta, hitting a critical three-run homer to spur the Dodgers’ come-from-behind win in Game 3. But these moments were the exception to the rule in his later years, befuddling fans and coaches who yearned for more consistency from Bellinger at the plate.

“I think Cody’s got to take some responsibility for it. I think us, as coaches, have to take some responsibility for it,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Sometimes maybe a different voice might re-unlock some things in him, because you can’t debate the skill set or the talent.”

Bellinger acknowledged that, on a practical level, the change of scenery has helped.

“I feel really good, I feel really confident,” he said. “Physically, mentally, I feel as solid as I have in a while. It’s exciting.”

Roberts said he saw Bellinger’s confidence waver “a lot” last season.

“I can’t even begin to appreciate what it’s like to be that caliber of player, and then to try to have to realize those expectations on a night-to-night, year-to-year basis,” Roberts said. “I think getting out from under that allowed him to catch his breath a little bit and start over.”

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Bellinger declined to discuss any details about the offseason negotiations that ultimately ended his Dodger career. He said the finality of his time in Los Angeles didn’t resonate until the Dodgers released a tribute video to him on their official social media accounts.

“I got a little emotional watching that video,” he said, “just all the amazing memories you know, and the cool things that I accomplished and we accomplished as a team.”

ALSO

Austin Barnes was behind the plate Friday, and Max Muncy was the backup catcher, as Will Smith was scratched from the lineup due to an illness. Roberts was hopeful but uncertain that Smith would be able to return Saturday. … Smith is hitting .333 with three home runs and 12 RBIs this season. … Miguel Rojas, who has dealt with groin and hamstring injuries in the last week, has been cleared to play every day. He started at shortstop, batting seventh.

UP NEXT

Dodgers (RHP Michael Grove, 0-1, 14.73 ERA) vs. Chicago Cubs (RHP Jameson Taillon, 0-2, 7.00 ERA), Saturday, 6:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM

Orange County Register

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Cubs’ Cody Bellinger, healthier and more confident, embraces return to Los Angeles

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