June 14th, 2017 at 12:00 pm 
by Ron Cervenka It’s a question that we will never know the answer to … not ever. What would have happened if 21-year-old Dodger rookie phenom Cody Bellinger had started the 2017 season on the Dodgers 25-man opening day roster – as those of us who have closely followed the Scottsdale, Arizona native for the past two years thought he should have – instead of arriving to the show 20 games into the season?
Like I said, we’ll never know.
Bellinger became the youngest player in MLB history to have four multi-home run games with this two-run shot in the top of the eighth inning on Tuesday to secure Clayton Kershaw‘s ninth win of the season.
(Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)
What we do know is that Bellinger would, in all likelihood, have at least 21 home runs instead of 17 (based on the fact that the longest he has gone without hitting one is six games) and would likely have 44 RBIs instead of 39 (based on the fact that the longest he has gone without driving in a run is five games).
So what’s the big deal between 17 home runs versus 21, and 39 RBIs versus of 44, you ask?
Consider this. New York Yankees rookie phenom Aaron Judge has an MLB-best 22 home runs and an MLB-best 57 RBIs. The big difference – huge, in fact – is that Judge has appeared in all but two of the Yankees 62 games thus far this season compared to the 45 games that Bellinger has appeared in of the Dodgers 65 games. That’s a difference of 15 games which, when you take into account that games between home runs and RBIs thing, puts Bellinger at roughly 20 home runs and 42 RBIs – still behind Judge in both categories but not by much. Yet when you flip on the television to ESPN or Fox, or the radio to the MLB Network, all you hear about is Aaron Judge, Aaron Judge and Aaron Judge.
Now this most certainly isn’t a knock on the 25-year-old Linden, California native who some are calling the next Babe Ruth, it’s simply to say that it could just as easily be Bellinger getting most of the air time had the Dodgers front office recognized what many of Dodger fans already knew before Opening Day 2017.
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Now, now… no what if’s. Just say “Bon Voyage” to that ship. Fate has a way of working itself out, thank you.
Dodger fans are looking ahead to the bright future before us and, should they keep playing as they have been, there will be plenty of air time to spread around the clubhouse in years to come!
I feel like a kid at a theme park who doesn’t want to get off the Cody Bellinger “attraction!” It’s been a ride!
Go Dodgers!
Without Adrian initially going on the DL Cody might have even been longer getting to MLB.
The most positive things for me are his position versatility and his strong hitting against LHP.
Cody was already up, playing LF, when Gonzo went to the DL.
I did a bit of calculating. At his present pace Cody’s projects to hit 54 HR’s. If we could add in those first 20 games it would be 61.
If he gets even remotely close to Ruth/Mantle, this will be among the worst and most criticized decisions in the history of the game.
Although Friedman and Zaidi have made some outstanding decisions in their short time together in LA, the very second it was known that AGon was going to begin the season on the DL, Bellinger should have been added to the Opening Day roster – period. Had that happened, all of this would be moot.
I personally don’t care that Aaron gets more air time than Cody, the most important thing to me, is what Cody does for the Dodgers.
About what I expected.