Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Cody Bellinger (35) strikes out swinging in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies during spring training at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Former NL MVP Cody Bellinger has been abysmal in spring training

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated 3/27/22

Cody Bellinger is hoping for a bounce-back season in 2022, but Los Angeles Dodgers fans have to be concerned with what they have seen from the star outfielder.

Bellinger batted just .165 in 95 games last season. It goes without saying that he has worked on making adjustments this winter, but he has appeared just as lost in spring training as he was last year. Bellinger has a whopping 14 strikeouts in 19 at-bats thus far.

Crazy…Cody Bellinger now has 14 strikeouts in 19 spring ABs and 8 strikeouts in a row.

— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) March 27, 2022

Bellinger, the 2019 NL MVP, was so bad last season that there was talk of him being benched. He had to work his way back after having offseason surgery and suffered another injury early in the year. The assumption was the injuries played a big role in his struggles, but the spring training numbers say otherwise.

Spring training is, of course, meaningless. However, when you have a player who is looking to turn things around after a disastrous season, that many strikeouts is an ominous sign.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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