Last year, both Aaron Judge and Juan Soto were AL MVP finalists with Soto hitting ahead of Judge in the 2-3 holes all year, despite some flux behind them – Anthony Rizzo, Giancarlo Stanton, Alex Verdugo, and then Austin Wells all had stints as the primary cleanup hitter during the season.
It seems likely that Cody Bellinger, as a lefty power bat, will probably slot into Soto’s spot between Judge and whoever hits leadoff (Anthony Volpe), although things are subject to change – but given he hit third or fourth in 128 of his 130 starts with the Cubs last year, Bellinger’s name is probably going to be next to Judge’s on the lineup card somehow.
Truthfully, he doesn’t care which side it’s on, or if it’s even next to it at all.
“Man, what a talent he is!” Bellinger said of Judge in his introductory Zoom call Thursday. “Watching from afar, it’s amazing what he does; he makes any team better, and he makes whoever is hitting in front of or behind him better, too. I haven’t given it much thought, and I’ll probably chat with Boonie about it at some point, but no preference for me. We’ll try things out and see what’s best for the team, and wherever they wanna slot me in, I’ll gladly do it.”
In terms of making things better, though, fans are surely salivating over what Bellinger can do with the short porch in Yankee Stadium’s right field (and another 10 games in Boston’s even shorter RF), and to be fair, he is in a way, too.
“I do look forward to it. For me, a big part of success throughout 162 games is staying within yourself – you don’t want elements to dictate how you feel,” Bellinger said. “You want to stay within yourself and stick with your plan. For me, that’s how I stay even keeled, but it definitely excites me.”
Bellinger was the Rookie of the Year in 2017 and the NL MVP with 47 homers in 2019, but he struggled in the shortened pandemic season and didn’t recover until 2023, when he signed with the Cubs and hit a career high .307 with 26 dingers and 97 RBI – his highest totals since 2019.
That’s still inside him, as far as he knows, so hopefully, that plays out in 2025 as opposed to the .751 OPS and 18 dingers he hit for the Cubs last season.
“The beautiful thing about Wrigley is the elements, with the wind and the day games, and that’s part of the experience that makes it unique, There were definitely good days to hit there, but I’m not one to make excuses,” Bellinger said. “I know what I can do and have done, and that’s what I strive for every year. I expect that out of myself and I’m hard on myself, but that’s what I want. I had a good amount of home runs my rookie year, too, and I do think it’s in the tank.”
That said, just as playing in Los Angeles and Chicago will help him with the brightest lights in New York, so, too, will his struggles help him be ready to climb back to the top of the mountain.
“You never know the future, and I try not to set future numbers, I just want to play the best baseball I can play to help the team win,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot, and I’m very confident where I’m at right now and in my ability. At the end of the day, I strive to be the best player I can be. I know how good I can be, and that’s what I strive for and want to go and show.
It keeps me motivated.”