Alexander Wilson
The New York Yankees took Game 2 against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday afternoon with a 9-4 win, and Ryan Weathers was solid again with five innings of one-run ball. But the guy who made the box score look ridiculous was Cody Bellinger, who went 4-for-4 with two homers and four RBIs. That kind of afternoon from a player who signed a five-year, $162.5 million deal this offseason is exactly what the Yankees needed to see when they made that commitment, and he’s been delivering it consistently since April.
Bellinger is hitting .276/.372/.483 with five homers and 20 RBIs, a 138 wRC+, a 14.6% strikeout rate, and a 13.9% walk rate. He’s been 38% better than the average MLB hitter through the first month and a half of the season, which is a genuinely excellent number for a corner outfielder expected to hit in the top four of the lineup every night. The investment is paying off.
What Makes His Game So Complete
The plate discipline numbers are some of the best in the game, with elite chase rate and walk rate percentiles that put him in the same conversation as the most disciplined hitters in the American League. His 13.9% walk rate and 14.6% strikeout rate are the kind of numbers that make pitchers uncomfortable before a single pitch is thrown. He’s not just getting home runs from the short right porch, though Yankee Stadium has certainly helped. He’s driving the ball to all fields, making consistent hard contact, and punishing pitchers who try to attack him in the zone.
The defense is just as impressive. Five defensive runs saved over 277.2 innings in left field is genuine elite-level production. He covers ground, takes clean routes, and has the arm to keep runners from taking extra bases on him. For $32.5 million per year, getting this caliber of defender alongside a 138 wRC+ offensively is borderline unfair value, and the Yankees knew it when they structured the deal to keep him in pinstripes.
The Lineup Picture
What the Yankees have constructed at the top of their order is genuinely nasty. Trent Grisham leads off with elite plate discipline and is due to see his luck turn given his underlying metrics. Ben Rice is hitting .339 and has been one of the best hitters in baseball. Aaron Judge is Aaron Judge. And now Bellinger is slotted right in behind them as the fourth bat, posting a 138 wRC+ and driving in runs at a consistent clip.
Opposing pitching staffs have no easy at-bats navigating that group. They can’t pitch around Rice without running into Judge. They can’t pitch around Judge without running into Bellinger. The lineup flows in a way that forces starting pitchers to make quality pitches to multiple dangerous hitters in every single inning, and when one of them has a day like Bellinger just had against Baltimore, a 9-4 final is the result.
The opt-outs built into Bellinger’s contract after years two and three are what made the deal palatable for both sides. If he keeps performing at this level, he’ll almost certainly opt out and reset his market. The Yankees essentially get him locked in for two elite seasons guaranteed, with the option to benefit longer if he wants to stay. Through 30-plus games, the arrangement looks great from every angle.
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