Bellinger hits ground running after short spring

ARLINGTON -- This spring went much different for Cody Bellinger when he arrived at Cubs camp. There was no need to do a deep dive into his swing. He did not need to get to know Chicago’s team of hitting coaches. The offensive foundation and relationships were already established.

“We just kind of hit the ground running when he came back again this year,” Cubs hitting coach Dustin Kelly said.

That familiarity helped the Cubs’ comfort level in re-signing Bellinger after his free agency lingered into the early portion of Spring Training. A year ago, the North Siders were not exactly sure what they were going to get out of the outfielder, but he teamed with the Cubs’ hitting group and strength staff on a rebuild of his swing and routine that produced impressive results.

Bellinger now has the chance to prove that his production last summer was no fluke. That process began on Opening Day in Texas, where the outfielder delivered an RBI double in the Cubs’ 4-3, 10-inning loss to the Rangers on Thursday.

“I had a full offseason to build off what I wanted to do,” Bellinger said. “Mentally and physically, I'm in a really, really good spot. And just to have that foundation, to be able to build off it, has been positive. For me, [last season] was the most consistent, day in and day out, that I’ve felt.”

Two offseasons ago, Bellinger began reporting to the Cubs’ complex in Arizona shortly after signing with the ballclub. Following a pair of injury-marred seasons with the Dodgers -- leading to the outfielder being non-tendered after the ‘22 campaign -- he wanted to quickly get to work with Kelly, who previously worked in L.A.’s farm system.

Kelly had been going over video comparisons and data from the early portion of Bellinger’s career (when the outfielder was the National League’s Rookie of the Year in ‘17 and MVP in ‘19) and the seasons hindered by leg and shoulder setbacks. The hitting coach identified a few areas to target with Bellinger.

One goal was to focus on the “hip hinge” part of Bellinger’s swing, helping the outfielder stay in a stronger position over his back leg longer before driving forward. Another concept Kelly brought to Bellinger was reducing the “bat tip” that the outfielder had developed. Instead of having a more direct path to a pitch, Bellinger’s bat was tipping forward before loading up his swing.

“All of that stuff was all in conversations that we had kind of in the first four or five days,” Kelly said. “It was like, ‘OK, you're healthy. OK, you can get into some of these positions. Let's kind of try them out.’ And he has an incredible feel for what his body does.”

Once the Cubs showed Bellinger the videos and numbers to back up what they wanted to do with him, the outfielder was on board.

“Having an understanding of it was very, very helpful for me,” Bellinger said. “And it was pretty obvious.”

In ‘22, Bellinger hired a personal trainer to begin better connecting his workouts in the weight room to the work being done in the batting cage. Once Kelly and the Cubs’ hitting group brought him those ideas, he continued that process with Chicago. He teamed with the strength and conditioning group to build a workout program that helped with the mechanical adjustments.

Bellinger’s teammates took notice of that approach.

“Before he takes a swing with a bat to a ball, he's very conscious of getting his body ready,” Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner said. “It's cool. My takeaway from that was like, there's a lot you can do to prepare yourself as a hitter more than just [cage work]. It's especially valuable in-season. You can't just swing and swing and swing. You see a lot of guys kind of grind themselves into the ground.”

Over 130 games, Bellinger hit .307/.356/.525 with 26 home runs, 29 doubles and 97 RBIs for the Cubs en route to the NL’s Comeback Player of the Year Award. In the process, he posted his highest contact rate overrall (81.2%) and on pitches in the zone (87.4%) of his career.

While Bellinger’s exit velocity was down overall, Kelly is quick to note that there are multiple contributing factors. First, reducing the bat tip led to higher contact ability. Beyond that, though, Kelly saw a hitter who was increasingly embracing situational approach, altering his swing with two strikes to open up more avenues for hits.

That is why Kelly firmly believes the foundation Bellinger built in ‘23 can lead to more sustainable results.

“It just wasn't luck,” Kelly said. “There's too many instances and too many conversations that we have behind the scenes that you can't just drum up to dumb luck. We talked about a plan and approach … and then you’d see it play out.”