Before the 2023 season, the Chicago Cubs signed former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger to a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2024.
Bellinger, a former MVP winner, had fallen from a cliff in LA, struggling badly in 2021 and 2022.
He was non-tendered by the blues, and the Cubs decided to take a chance.
Boy, was it a smart move.
Bellinger had a huge bounce-back season with a .881 OPS, 29 doubles, 26 home runs, 97 RBI, 95 runs scored, and a .307 batting average.
He hadn’t been this good since 2019.
In the summer, he was so good that no other player drove in as many runs as he did in August.
“No big leaguer drove in more runs in a single calendar month this year than Cody Bellinger drove in during the month of August,” Codify Baseball tweeted, with a graphic indicating that the powerful outfielder had 31 RBI that month.
No big leaguer drove in more runs in a single calendar month this year than Cody Bellinger drove in during the month of August. pic.twitter.com/SiM5pDmAIu
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) November 14, 2023
31 RBI in a month is a ridiculously good pace, more than an RBI per game.
That month, Bellinger hit .324/.354/.533 with a .887 OPS.
Shockingly, he was even better in July, when he hit .400 and had a 1.122 OPS.
Despite his efforts, his Cubs finished 83-79, just one game behind the last two postseason teams: the Miami Marlins and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Now, the Cubs find themselves in a good situation, with a good roster, an even better farm, and an elite manager in Craig Counsell.
If they somehow manage to retain Bellinger, there is no reason to think they can’t make the playoffs next year.
It won’t be easy, though, because his excellent performance gives him many suitors.
The post Graphic Remembers Legendary Cody Bellinger Stretch appeared first on The Cold Wire.