The Los Angeles Dodgers' farm system is so deep, the name Cody Bellinger is probably a bit foreign to a lot of baseball fans. That could soon change.
The No. 5 prospect in the Dodgers' organization, according to Baseball America, is one of the team's top performers in spring training. He's batting .500 with a 1.244 OPS in 10 games (16 at-bats) thus far and has logged 50 innings at first base without making an error.
Bellinger, 20, has also spent some time in the outfield during his minor league career (226 games), but the Dodgers have plenty of depth out there, and Adrian Gonzalez will be the team's first baseman barring an injury. Still, if the youngster continues to improve his versatility, there could be a spot on the roster for him at some point during the season if the team were to deal with injuries or underperforming players.
"The game doesn't speed up on him," said manager Dave Roberts. "He looks comfortable out there. The more you see, the more you like."
ESPN's Buster Olney said Bellinger "could become an interesting option down the road" for Los Angeles as the team's staff has been "impressed" with his all-around play.
The fourth-round selection in the 2013 MLB Draft logged his first full professional season as a 19-year-old in 2015. He debuted in 2013 but played just 98 games before the 2015 season. At High Class A Rancho Cucamonga, the young slugger hit .264/.336/.538 with 97 runs scored, 30 home runs, 103 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 128 games.
It's never a bad thing to have a plethora of young talent. Bellinger still needs time to develop, but it's still possible his MLB debut will come in 2016. While Gonzalez remains a steadfast option at first base, the outfield is a big logjam of uncertainty. Will Andre Ethier be traded after previous speculation and rumors? How will Joc Pederson fare after a terrible second half? Will Yasiel Puig bounce back and recreate his 2013 performance? Is Carl Crawford going to remain a $20-million-per-year bench player?
And let's not forget about the possibility of injuries. The Dodgers are no stranger to that. They lost prospect Frankie Montas earlier this offseason to rib cage surgery; Brett Anderson is likely out half the year after back surgery; Hyun-Jin Ryu's return from shoulder surgery has been delayed due to soreness; Alex Wood is dealing with elbow soreness; Corey Seager is nursing an injured knee; Justin Turner just made his spring debut after recovering from knee surgery; and others are still making comebacks from surgeries or injuries.
If the Dodgers were to see the injury bug plague the outfield or perhaps Gonzalez at some point in the season, don't be surprised if Bellinger gets the call, assuming he continues to progress once he starts the year at Double-A Tulsa.
