Dodgers Analyst Slams Struggling Slugger Cody Bellinger

Dodgers analyst, Jerry Hairston Jr. thinks Los Angeles outfielder, Cody Bellinger, has the answer to his struggles right in front of him.

On Friday night, the Dodgers lost 1-7 in their first of a six-game homestand to the San Diego Padres. After the game, Sportsnet Analyst Jerry Hairston Jr's attention had, once again, focused on the struggling Cody Bellinger. 

This is what he had to say about the former NL MVP.

Hairston is basically pleading with Bellinger to return to his 2021 postseason form.

"…he’s not going to be able to hit like this. You can’t hit like this. You have that flat bat… You’re straight up, you’re not in an athletic position … he doesn’t put himself in a position to hit and he’s making it so hard on himself.”

He continues with the opinion that if Bellinger weren't such an athletic person, he would be a .100 hitter at best with how flat he keeps his bat. Ouch. This season, Belli is slashing .202/.259/.388 with a .647 OPS and a 76 OPS+ (Average OPS+ is 100). 

TheRealJHair pointed out that last October, The Bopper made an adjustment to his bat angle and ended up being one of the best hitters for the Dodgers in the postseason. Here is some context to what J-Hair was referring to in the broadcast.

I completely agree with @TheRealJHair that Cody Bellinger should get back to this. Hands lower, yet he could still crush the high fastball. pic.twitter.com/PCh5zeAe8M

— AwkwardEric (@DeTrinidadJames) September 3, 2022

Jerry's argument is that if Bellinger returned to the bat angle that he was batting with back then, no matter how uncomfortable it may initially be, he would be in a better position to make consistent contact. The 27-year-old was the second-best hitter, behind Chris Taylor, with a .353 batting average and an OPS of .906. 

So despite Bellinger's lack of offense at the plate, Roberts still continues to start him. The Dodgers still hold the best record in the MLB and have an 18-game lead in the NL West.

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But will his luck run out? A few young LA prospects have begun to nip at his ankles for playing time. Or, will Roberts stick with the seasoned vet headed into this year's postseason? Hopefully, Bellinger makes some adjustments to his swing before it's too late. It might be his only option left.