If you are a ‘bottom line’ type of person, the bottom line is that the Dodgers lost to the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night by a score of 4-3. But if you are a true, diehard fan of the game and saw the running catch that Dodgers All-Star outfielder and All-Star-caliber first baseman Cody Bellinger made in the bottom of the seventh inning on a fading line drive off the bat of Braves centerfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., you were blessed to have witnessed not only one of the greatest catches of the game, but arguably one of the greatest catches of the year.

Here’s the dilemma.

The 24-year-old Scottsdale, AZ native and Dodgers 2013 fourth-round draft pick out of Hamilton High School in Chandler, AZ was initially drafted to primarily be a first baseman, a position at which he excelled but was basically roadblocked by five-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. And while Bellinger was the (very) obvious heir apparent to eventually replace the (then) 35-year-old/14-year MLB veteran first baseman, there was no way on earth that the Dodgers could keep the (then) 21-year-old rookie’s smoking hot bat out of their everyday lineup.

Bellinger, as you recall and by no coincidence, would go on to win the 2017 National League Rookie of the Year award. During that historic World Series-bound season, Bellinger spent 46 games in the Dodgers outfield and 93 games at first base to spell the aging and oft-injured Gonzalez. The problem (if you can call it that) is that in addition to being a two-time All-Star right fielder, Bellinger is also a Gold Glove-caliber right fielder, a Gold Glove-caliber first baseman, a Gold Glove-caliber center fielder, and a Gold Glove-caliber left fielder.

Do you see where this is going? Much like himself in 2017 and 2018, the 2019 Dodgers can ill-afford to keep utility infielder (but primary first baseman) Max Muncy‘s (current) 31 home run bat out of their everyday lineup and/or (primary) right fielder Joc Pederson‘s (current) 24 home run bat out of their everyday lineup. As such, Bellinger is the proverbial jack-of-all-trades (and master of all), but will, in all probability, not log enough playing time at any one position to qualify for what most assuredly would win him a Gold Glove at any of them if he played any of them on a regular basis.

The textbook reply to this is, of course, that baseball is a team sport, not an individual sport. As such, the good of the team (and a potential World Series trophy) trumps any and all individual awards or honors. But still, being so incredibly talented (and gifted) at so many different positions definitely has its drawbacks.

Play Ball!

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