Fansided

25 most important stars for MLB playoffs

By Joshua Sadlock

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 21: Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the New York Yankees follows through on a sixth inning home run against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on September 21, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 21: Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the New York Yankees follows through on a sixth inning home run against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on September 21, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 18: Cody Bellinger #35 of the Los Angeles Dodgers rounds second base after hitting a home run against the Tampa Bay Rays at Dodger Stadium on September 18, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 18: Cody Bellinger #35 of the Los Angeles Dodgers rounds second base after hitting a home run against the Tampa Bay Rays at Dodger Stadium on September 18, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) /

3. Cody Bellinger

Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger is putting the finishing touches on one of the best offensive seasons in franchise history and is a lock to finish first or second in the NL MVP vote depending on how seriously the voters take the advanced metrics that paint him as a much stronger candidate than Brewers star Christian Yelich. The 24-year-old has put up elite offensive numbers while playing stellar defense and also contributing on the basepaths. Bellinger has made the leap from promising young slugger to bona fide superstar in the blink of an eye.

Bellinger is hitting .301/.402/.623 this year with 46 home runs, 114 RBI and 15 stolen bases. He is also approaching 100 walks and has significantly cut down on his strikeout rate. Bellinger had one of the best first halves in MLB history, hitting .336/.432/.692 with 30 home runs and 71 RBI. He carried a batting average over .400 through May 21 before beginning to cool off.

Despite the overall huge numbers on the season, Bellinger has been quite ordinary since the end of May. He is hitting just .257/.365/.553 with 29 home runs and 70 RBI over his last 450 plate appearances. Those are obviously still great numbers, but not quite MVP worthy in this elevated offensive environment. Bellinger’s OPS since May is actually lower than the .933 OPS he had as a rookie in 2017.

The postseason has been a mixed bag for Bellinger in his first two seasons in the big leagues. The Dodgers have been to the World Series twice, in part propelled by Bellinger’s strong hitting in the NLCS both years. Unfortunately, he has come up short in the World Series, hitting just .114/.133/.273 with 23 strikeouts in 44 at-bats. If Bellinger is able to put together a complete postseason of offense, the Dodgers could finally claim that elusive title.

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