The New York Yankees lost superstar slugger Juan Soto but it didn’t take them long to find another great outfielder in the form of Cody Bellinger.
He’s a former Most Valuable Player in his own right and is just 29 years old. It’s almost been forgotten how good of a player he is at this point in his career. He’s a solid defender in the outfield and at first base. Bellinger has been solid offensively to kick off the 2025 campaign and is slashing .294/.318/.471 with one home run, six RBIs, and one stolen bases in five games played.
Bellinger had a somewhat down year last year, but in his first season with the Chicago Cubs in 2023 slashed .307/.356/.525 with 26 homers, 97 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases in 130 games. It wouldn’t be a shock to see Bellinger thrive in New York. The right field bleachers should get a lot of homers from him.
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers predicted he will reach 30 or more homers in the season for the first time since 2019.
“No. 95. Cody Bellinger, CF, New York Yankees,” Rogers said. “Bellinger has a real shot to move up these rankings after spending this season at Yankee Stadium, where the wind is less of a factor and the short porch in right field is more of one. He didn’t have those advantages at Wrigley Field last year, and he admittedly didn’t have a great season.
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“Bellinger isn’t the MVP version of himself anymore, but he’s still a very good player who keeps getting better at the finer points of hitting — like going to left field or battling against a good left-handed pitcher. Still, he has always been known as a power guy, and he hasn’t shown that as much the past few years. Hitting near Judge and in New York might change that. Season prediction: Bellinger hits 30 home runs for the first time since 2019.”
If the Yankees can get him to that type of player, they will be just fine in 2025.
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