In addition to Judge, there is still an MVP in charge, and Bellinger has regained his strong playing nature to boost the Yankees

When Aaron Judge led the team to Los Angeles with a batting average of 0.391 and 18 home runs, he became the only player in the last 20 years to achieve a batting average of 0.375+ and more than 18 hits in the first 55 games of the season. The other was sitting in front of the locker next to him — Cody Bellinger, who had a staggering 0.377 batting average of 20 hits during the same period in his 2019 MVP season.

"I felt hot in April that year," Bellinger recalls, "but even with the staggering numbers, I was still focused on the moment every day – it was just an eternal game of offense and defense." When told that he was the only person in the past twenty years to achieve this achievement, Judge looked down and sighed, "We are lucky to have him." "

This is especially precious to the Yankees, as Bellinger, who was a playoff legend for the Dodgers, is regaining his long-distance power on the eve of a game against his old club. After dislocating his right shoulder in the 2020 World Series, his striking ability has deteriorated severely: in 2021-22, he only delivered 0.193/0.256/0.355 measurements (29 hits) in 239 games, and his hard-hit rate fell to the bottom. Although the Cubs have rebounded in 2023 with 26 hits and a 0.881 attack index, Statcast data shows that their 31.4% strong batting rate ranks in the bottom 10% of the league, and the 6.1% barrel rate is a new career low.

"It wasn't a deliberate attempt to touch the ball," Bellinger explained of the low point, "when it was completely out of control, with a mess of body coordination and hitting points. He admits that a shoulder injury has completely changed the swing mechanism: "All the power signals are directed to the wrong action. "

The turnaround began with joining the Yankees. This season, his solid batting percentage has risen to 10.5% (best since 2019), his strong batting percentage has reached 40.5% (peak since 2020), and his expected long batting average of 0.459 has reached a four-year high. When asked about the key to the transformation, he boiled it down: "I went back and forth with the percussion coach to fine-tune the details, and now I'm finally on the right track." On the current situation of the right shoulder, he stressed: "Flexibility is more important than strength, and this needs to be maintained continuously. "

Defensively, his multi-position flexibility multiplies his value – with new signing Paul Goldschmidt at first base, Bellinger continues to display a golden glove in the midfield. If its "Belli-bombs" continue to detonate behind Judge, the deterrence of the line will increase exponentially.

"Wake up every day just to be the best version of yourself," Bellinger said, gazing at the closet, "and going to bed at night is all I want." At this moment, the two cabinet doors adjacent to the locker room are reflecting the intersection of the two legendary trajectories.