Alexander Wilson
The New York Yankees put together one of their best offensive performances of the season on Saturday, rolling over the Kansas City Royals 13-4 behind a seven-inning gem from Will Warren and a lineup that looked like itself for the first time in a while. Amed Rosario drove in three. J.C. Escarra chipped in three more. But the best performance on the field came from Cody Bellinger, who went 3-for-5 with two home runs and five RBIs in a game the Yankees controlled from start to finish.
That’s the version of Bellinger the Yankees signed for $162.5 million over five years, and after a slow start to the season, he’s starting to look like it consistently.
Where He Is Right Now
Bellinger is hitting .274/.368/.452 on the year, which is roughly in line with what the Yankees were expecting when they brought him back. Last season he posted a 125 wRC+ with 29 home runs, and the early returns suggest that level of production is well within reach again. The cold weather in April kept him from his best work in the opening weeks, as it did for several Yankees hitters, but as the temperature climbs so does Bellinger’s bat.
What makes him especially dangerous when he’s locked in is his ability to use the whole field. Saturday’s two home runs are a good example. He doesn’t just pull the ball over the right field wall the way a typical left-handed power hitter operates. He can drive it the other way, he can hit for average, and he can work counts when pitchers try to slow him down. That combination of skills is what makes him more than a one-dimensional slugger, and it’s what makes him difficult to pitch around in a lineup that already has Aaron Judge and Ben Rice demanding attention.
The Defense Doesn’t Get Enough Credit
Bellinger’s offense gets most of the headlines, and it should. But his defense in left field has been one of the quieter contributions to this team’s early season success. He covers significant ground, takes good routes to the ball, and has the arm to keep runners from taking extra bases. For a $32.5 million player, being above average in the field while producing at this level offensively makes him one of the best value bets in the American League right now when you consider the full package.
The Yankees couldn’t afford to let him walk in free agency and they made the right call keeping him. There was friction in the negotiations, Boras wanted seven years and the Yankees wouldn’t go past five, but they got their guy. Now he’s 30 years old, entering the prime of what should be the final productive chapter of his career, and he’s playing exactly the kind of baseball that justifies the investment.
Saturday was the kind of afternoon that puts a bad stretch in the rearview mirror. The Yankees are better when Bellinger is producing, and right now he is.
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