The arrival of Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees could be an incentive for a player who has had some ups and downs which he hopes to have left in the past, as it is a club that somehow carries them in its genes.
His father, Clay Bellinger, was a champion in the 1999 and 2000 seasons with the same Manhattan Mules, so the outfielder, who can also brilliantly play first base, wears the pinstriped uniform in his genes, and is willing to do his part to put a team that has not won a title for more than a decade and a half on top.
Bellinger was a great prospect who became a reality when he arrived in MLB and was crowned champion with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020. He came close to ending his career as a professional baseball player after a long list of injury problems
Injuries affected Bellinger’s career
After being the National League MVP in 2019, Bellinger had a slump that drew attention due to a series of injuries that led him to finish the 2021 season with a career-low .165 batting average, 10 home runs and 36 RBIs.
“My failures after the World Series due to some injuries made me lose myself, I lost my swing, I lost my confidence,” said Bellinger, who hopes to rise from the ashes.
Last season with the Chicago Cubs, he had a good season, finishing with a .266 average, 18 home runs and 78 RBIs, numbers he wants to improve for the upcoming season.
“Basically, when the team needed something done, Jeter seemed like the guy who delivered. He had that crazy clutch gene that every player strives to have,” Bellinger said during the spring training Q&A session, and he wants to give back to the Yankees that clutch mentality of the former New York captain Derek Jeter, hoping to regain lost glory for the team that supported his father, financially and socially.
It is obvious that the Bronx Bombers are one of the most important teams in Major League Baseball, but they are no longer that team that gets all the big names and was synonymous with championships.
Anything other than winning is considered a failure for the Yankees, although in recent years that essence has been lost.
The fact is that the Yankees are now trying to make smart moves, although the Dodgers and their neighbors the New York Mets have beaten them to the punch when it comes to signing the biggest and most important names in free agency, but Bellinger hopes to change that.
Jeter was known for his performance during the most important and crucial situations, which led him to be considered one of the best Yankees of all time, and now Bellinger hopes to return those great moments of glory to the team.
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