Cody Bellinger

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #1 prospect in 2017
  Bellinger's father Clay played three seasons with the Yankees from 1999-2001 and two games with the Angels in 2002, batting .193 over 311 career at-bats. While Clay's major league career was brief, his son Cody has a chance to develop into one of the game's stars. Bellinger was 17 when the Dodgers drafted him in the fourth round of the 2013 draft and signed him for $700,000. His first two years in the system, Bellinger showed impressive pure hitting ability but mostly gap power as a first baseman. In 2015, Bellinger transformed himself into slugger who hit 30 home runs at high Class A Rancho Cucamonga despite skipping a level. In 2016, after missing most of April with a strained left hip, he put himself among baseball's elite prospects with a terrific season in the Double-A Texas League. In September, he joined Triple-A Oklahoma City, hit three home runs in three games, then went to the Arizona Fall League and batted .314/.424/.557 in 85 plate appearances. Cody's younger brother, Cole Bellinger, played in the 2016 Area Code Games and is committed to play baseball at Grand Canyon. While most first base prospects tend to be one-dimensional sluggers, Cody is a dynamic all-around player in both the batter's box and with his glove. He made an adjustment in 2015 to load his hands to create better torque instead of relying more on his body in his swing. That change increased his power production, but also created a more uphill swing plane, leaving him with a bigger strikeout rate. Toward the end of 2015, Bellinger condensed his hand trigger slightly and became more studious of opposing pitchers and his own strengths and weaknesses, which allowed him to cut his strikeout rate. Those changes carried over into 2016, as he lowered his strikeout rate from 27 percent at high Class A in 2015 to 20 percent at Double-A in 2016 without sacrificing his power. Bellinger has a balanced lefthanded swing with plus bat speed, good leverage and use of his lower half, generating the potential to hit 30 home runs at the next level. He has good hand-eye coordination and a disciplined feel for the strike zone and he hangs in well against lefties. Bellinger is a supreme athlete for a first baseman and a gifted fielder who earns 70 grades on the 20-80 scouting scale for his defense. He's a potential Gold Glove winner with excellent range, smooth actions, clean footwork and soft hands to go along with a plus lefthanded arm. Bellinger is even an average runner, so the Dodgers have had him play the outfield as well. He's stretched thin in center field but is playable at both corners. Bellinger has a chance to be a foundational hitter in the middle of a lineup who can also save runs with his fielding at first base. The Dodgers have first baseman Adrian Gonzalez signed through the 2018 season, but Bellinger will be ready before then, so Bellinger's versatility and athleticism in the outfield could come in handy soon. Bellinger should start 2017 in Oklahoma City, but he could make his major league debut in the second half of the year.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #5 prospect in 2016
  Bellinger entered pro ball with a high baseball IQ because his father Clay played four seasons in the majors. In 2015, the Dodgers aggressively jumped Bellinger to high Class A Rancho Cucamonga, where he transformed from a sweet swinger into a 30-home run hitter. He used to gear his swing for line drives, but he made an adjustment in 2015 to create torque. He started loading his hands rather than using more of his body in his swing, allowing him to get closer to his launch position and use his hands to drive the ball. That helped his plus power show up in games, with quick bat speed, good leverage and use of his lower half. The changes contributed to a 28 percent strikeout rate. Near the end of 2015, he studied heat maps to understand his strengths and weaknesses. Thus his strikeout rate dropped to 19 percent in August. He is an exceptional athlete for a first baseman, a smooth, above-average defender with quick feet and a strong arm. He's a solid-average runner, which is why he played in center field for 21 games. He'll open 2016 as a 20-year-old at Double-A Tulsa. If he can find the right blend of contact and power, he can be an above-average regular at first.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #20 prospect in 2015
  The polish Bellinger shows in all facets is no surprise, given that his father Clay spent four seasons in the big leagues. His swing works well and he makes frequent contact with a sound hitting approach. Bellinger's swing is geared more for line drives than loft, and power is the biggest question mark. He's mostly a gap-to-gap guy right now, with some scouts projecting 10-15 home runs, which would be light for a first baseman. Others point to his quick-twitch hands and the room in his frame to add muscle and think average or better power will come. No one doubts his defense at first base. He's light on his feet with slick actions, smooth hands and a strong arm. He's even a solid-average runner, plenty speedy to play the corner outfield, but his defense is so good at first there's no point in moving him. Bellinger has a chance to break out if the power comes, with a season at low Class A Great Lakes on deck.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #14 prospect in 2014
  Clay Bellinger spent parts of four seasons in the majors, playing every position but pitcher for the Yankees and briefly the Angels from 1999-2002. His son Cody played in the 2007 Little League World Series and developed into one of the top Arizona high school prospects for the 2013 draft, signing for $700,000 as a Dodgers fourth-round pick. One of the youngest players in the 2013 draft, Bellinger is the rare teenage first-base prospect who makes scouts want to talk about his defense before his bat. He has Gold Glove potential with terrific actions around the bag, soft hands, good footwork and a strong arm. He runs a tick-above-average and could easily play the outfield, but his defense at first is so good that the Dodgers hesitate to move him. Bellinger combines athleticism with advanced feel for the game. Scouts like his lefthanded swing, as he loads well and has natural timing. His advanced pitch recognition and patient approach help him draw walks at a high clip. He's so gangly right now that he lacks strength, so power is the biggest question mark. He's a line-drive hitter with gap power, though he has the ability to backspin the ball. He has room to add 30 pounds to his frame, but right now he tends to jump out on his front foot trying to cheat to catch up to good fastballs because of his lack of strength. Scouts highest on Bellinger think he could develop average or better power, while others see 10-15 homers per year, which would place greater demands on his on-base skills.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #91 prospect in 2013 draft
  Scouts in the Four Corners frequently throw around the old saying, "pay him now or pay him later," because they run across a lot of projectable players like Bellinger in their area. Bellinger has big league bloodlines and excellent makeup. His father Clay won World Series rings with the Yankees in 1999 and 2000 as part of a four-year major league career. Cody, who played in the 2007 Little League World Series, is still thin and lacks strength in his rangy 6-foot-4, 180-pound frame. Scouts like Bellinger's lefthanded swing and just want to see him get stronger. He has natural timing and puts together solid at-bats with good pitch recognition. Scouts who believe in him see above-average power potential. Bellinger is also a well above-average defender at first base. He is light on his feet and shows smooth hands. He also pitches, and his fastball sits in the 87-89 mph range. Some scouts compare him to a young Adam LaRoche, and the right team will probably take him high enough to buy him out of his commitment to Oregon.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Arizona Fall League #4 prospect in 2016
  Bellinger's prospect stock continues to rise as his lean body gains strength, helping his swing work better. He was Glendale's most productive hitter this fall, producing a .314/.424/.557 slash line, with three home runs in 70 at-bats with 14 walks. With above-average bat speed and plenty of leverage in his swing, Bellinger, 21, projects to eventually have plus power. The consensus among AFL scouts is that his first base defense grades as plus, or even plus-plus, with one observer calling it Gold Glove caliber. His athleticism also plays in center field, where he is an average defender with an average arm.
• 
  Ranked Texas League #2 prospect in 2016
  While Bellinger batted .263 at Tulsa this season, it's important to keep in mind that no TL hitter broke the .300 barrier this year. He ranked in the top five in the league with 23 home runs, a .359 on-base percentage and by slugging .484. Bellinger has a smooth swing that gives him a chance to hit for average or power. He gets a little big in his swing at times as he looks to pull long home runs, but when he stays compact he can use an all-field approach. Bellinger plays primarily first base, but he is athletic and an average runner. He grades as an above-average defender with a plus arm in the outfield corners, but his glove is Gold Glove-caliber at first base. He sees more fielding chances there than in the outfield, and his soft hands help him dig out low throws from infielders.
• 
  Ranked California League #13 prospect in 2015
  Scouts who watched Bellinger in high school could see above-average power potential developing later. Those projections came to pass in 2015, when he clubbed 30 homers at age 20, despite going deep just four times combined in his first two pro seasons. Bellinger led the Cal League with 103 RBIs and 97 runs and placed second to Tyler O'Neill in the home run race. No one questions Bellinger's raw power, and his frame is still lean enough that he has room to add strength. He uses his lower half well and generates nice leverage in his swing. He didn't dial down his approach with two strikes in 2015, leading to high strikeout rate of 28 percent. His coaches worked with him to try to tone down his effort level at the plate, but he won't hit for a high average without changing his approach. Some managers assessed Bellinger as the best defensive first baseman in the league, and he's athletic enough that he started a21 games in center field. His arm is strong enough that playing him in the outfield is a real option.
• 
  Ranked Pioneer League #10 prospect in 2014
  The son of a former big league infielder Clay Bellinger, Cody received an over-slot bonus of $700,000 in 2013 despite his glove-first profile. He projects to be a plus defender at first base with middle-infielder actions, good footwork around the bag, soft hands and a strong arm. "He's as good as it gets over there," Ogden manager Jack McDowell said. "Real athletic, real polished for that young of a kid." Scouts have consistently debated Bellinger's potential to hit for power dating back to his high school years. Those who believe in his bat maintain that his thin, quick-twitch frame will fill out and get stronger, and they project at least average power. He showed progress in his second pro season, mostly driving balls to the gap with an improved swing. Bellinger swings the bat with authority, but is more of a low-ball hitter who could struggle with good velocity at higher levels. He's an above-average runner, adding another dimension not usually found in first basemen.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #7 prospect in 2017
• Ranked Baseball America's #54 prospect in 2016

• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: Bellinger's father Clay played three seasons with the Yankees from 1999-2001 and two games with the Angels in 2002, batting .193 over 311 career at-bats. While Clay's major league career was brief, his son Cody has a chance to develop into one of the game's stars. Bellinger was 17 when the Dodgers drafted him in the fourth round of the 2013 draft and signed him for $700,000. His first two years in the system, Bellinger showed impressive pure hitting ability but mostly gap power as a first baseman. In 2015, Bellinger transformed himself into slugger who hit 30 home runs at high Class A Rancho Cucamonga despite skipping a level. In 2016, after missing most of April with a strained left hip, he put himself among baseball's elite prospects with a terrific season in the Double-A Texas League. In September, he joined Triple-A Oklahoma City, hit three home runs in three games, then went to the Arizona Fall League and batted .314/.424/.557 in 85 plate appearances. Cody's younger brother Cole is committed to Grand Canyon. Scouting Report: While most first base prospects tend to be one-dimensional sluggers, Cody is a dynamic all-around player in both the batter's box and with his glove. He made an adjustment in 2015 to load his hands to create better torque instead of relying more on his body in his swing. That change increased his power production, but also created a more uphill swing plane, leaving him with a bigger strikeout rate. Toward the end of 2015, Bellinger condensed his hand trigger slightly and became more studious of opposing pitchers and his own strengths and weaknesses, which allowed him to cut his strikeout rate. Those changes carried over into 2016, as he lowered his strikeout rate from 27 percent at high Class A in 2015 to 20 percent at Double-A in 2016 without sacrificing his power. Bellinger has a balanced lefthanded swing with plus bat speed, good leverage and use of his lower half, generating the potential to hit 30 home runs at the next level. He has good hand-eye coordination and a disciplined feel for the strike zone and he hangs in well against lefties. Bellinger is a supreme athlete for a first baseman and a gifted fielder who earns 70 grades on the 20-80 scouting scale for his defense. He's a potential Gold Glove winner with excellent range, smooth actions, clean footwork and soft hands to go along with a plus lefthanded arm. Bellinger is even an average runner, so the Dodgers have had him play the outfield as well. He's stretched thin in center field but is playable at both corners. The Future: Bellinger has a chance to be a foundational hitter in the middle of a lineup who can also save runs with his fielding at first base. The Dodgers have first baseman Adrian Gonzalez signed through the 2018 season, but Bellinger will be ready before then, so Bellinger's versatility and athleticism in the outfield could come in handy soon. Bellinger should start 2017 in Oklahoma City, but he could make his major league debut in the second half of the year.
• August, 2016 Scouting Report
  Bellinger's prospect stock continues to rise as his lean body gains strength, helping his swing work better. He was Glendale's most productive hitter this fall, producing a .314/.424/.557 slash line, with three home runs in 70 at-bats with 14 walks. With above-average bat speed and plenty of leverage in his swing, Bellinger, 21, projects to eventually have plus power. The consensus among AFL scouts is that his first base defense grades as plus, or even plus-plus, with one observer calling it Gold Glove caliber. His athleticism also plays in center field, where he is an average defender with an average arm.