Is Cody Bellinger going to be wasted as a 1st baseman?

Phil Gurnee ♦ September 27, 2017 ♦ 3 Comments

Few if any major league center fielders could make the throws that Cody Bellinger made last night in helping to preserve the Dodger victory.

In case you didn’t know, @Cody_Bellinger can do a lot more than hit.

This sizzling 98.9-mph throw to the plate saves the @Dodgers a run! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/PLmPvk36Sk

— #Statcast (@statcast) September 27, 2017

I know his defense at 1st baseman has been a thing of beauty this year, but a great fielding 1st baseman isn’t an anomaly.  A center fielder who can put up a .900 plus OPS or a 140wRC+ you can count on one hand even when using both leagues as your playing pool.

The Dodgers have three young players who can play center field in Chris Taylor, Joc Pederson, and Cody Bellinger. Four if you count Alex Verdugo.  None of them have the offensive upside of Cody Bellinger, and to be honest I’m not sure any of them can play CF any better than Cody Bellinger if he was given 120 games out there.

What a weapon the Dodgers have developed. How will they utilize his skill set to best fit the team of the future? Or well they use it in the present?

Adrian Gonzalez showed some pop last night for the first time since coming back from the DL, well he play the rest of the week on a regular basis against RHP to see what he’s got left?  If Adrian shows anything, I’d replace Joc with him in a heartbeat just as Gary suggested in the comments yesterday.