In 2019, Cody Bellinger won the NL MVP Award. In 2020, Bellinger and his Dodgers won the World Series. So how did it feel that he has those two very important accomplishments under his belt during spring training 2021?
Bellinger told SN last week, “It really and really doesn’t feel any different”, as he was doing a round of sponsored interviews on behalf of Flonsey (Bellinger says they used nasal spray, BWT Huh). “It sounds really good, obviously, but it seems so. Everyone is working in the same way, everyone is doing the same thing, everyone is just getting ready for the season. ”
For most of these dodgers is a good thing.
MORE: SN’s staff predicted for 2021 MLB season
The club has won 345 games in the last four regular seasons, and another 33 in the last four seasons. Both of those numbers are best in large numbers, and only Astro (340 and 33) are close. After that, only the Yankees (327 and 18) and the Indians (321 and two) won the top 315 regular-season in the last four years.
But it’s amazing how the story around the Dodgers has changed. For so long, they were seen as a team that always had an October hiccup, which the team could not finish work. Clayton Kershaw was a future Hall of Famer who could not win a title.
Remember, the franchise has won the NL West eight years in a row, finishing at least 20 games each year and not winning the first World Series title in the stretch until 2020.
Now? The Dolgers won the World Series – after stopping the elimination against Atlanta in the NLCS – and suddenly appeared to be cursing near the invincible if they are healthy in October. Oh, and Karshaw started 2.31 with 14 strikes in two World Series starts, completely erasing the narrative.
“Everyone wanted it for Kersh,” Bellinger said. “He deserves it more than anyone. It was special.”
But if the Dodgers are going to make it two titles in a row in 2021, their toughest competition is 5 to two hours south of Interstate along the California coast.
The rivalry between the Padres and the Dodgers did not exist for a long time, mostly because the Padres were not very good. San Diego won 90 or more games just once from 1999 to 2019. This changed last year, when San Diego finished with the second-best record (behind the Dodgers) in the NL and the third-best record in the Major. The Dodgers won 6–4 against the Padres in the 2021 regular season, and then overtook the Padres in the second round of the NL playoffs.
With young superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. as the face of the franchise, the Padres have formed a club that will be contenders for the World Series for years to come. Most predictors – writers, broadcasters and Vegas – saw the Padres as the second best team in the National League. And they are in the same division as the Dodgers.
“It’s going to be exciting. It’s going to be against them, it’s going to be a fun season, “Bellinger said. “He has a lot of talented friends. Obviously, Tatis, but people (Eric) Hosmer and (Manny) Machado … there are a lot of people who can play. “
Foster: 21 things I really want to see during the 2021 season
The Padres were very aggressive, increasing their rotation with trades for this Blake Snell, the 2018 AL Cy Young winner – and the Hero of the 2020 World Series – and Yu Darvish, who finished second in the NL Cy Young voting. year. Those deals were so jaw-dropping that the trade for Joe Musgrove was almost over. But Musgrove, who hit 12.5 batters per inning and posted a 3.42 FIP in eight with the Pirates last year, would fit well in the middle of the rotation with Chris Paddak.
Oh, and he gave Tatis a 14-year, $ 340 million contract extension. And he signed infielder Ha-Seong Kim as the KBO star. And he re-signed Jack-of-all-trades hitter Jurixon Profar. And he signed with Mark Melancon and Keane Banana. It was quite an offense.
The Dodgers saw that, of course. Even then, however, they have faith in everything they have.
“Hopefully, we can do what we’re doing,” Bellinger said. “That’s what we’re going to do, just focus on your game and don’t worry about someone else’s game.”
Add Comment