Outfielder Cody Bellinger inked a five-year, $162.5 million contract with the New York Yankees forward of the 2026 MLB season. The signing was divisive at first, however midway by yr one followers appear to be on the identical web page.
Bellinger has performed in 82 of the workforce’s 83 video games, slashing .262/.361/.446 for an .807 OPS. He has 11 residence runs and 49 RBIs.
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While on a chilly streak on the plate recently, there is no such thing as a denying the defensive capability of the left fielder. His 4 outs above common rank within the 89th percentile for MLB fielders (h/t Baseball Savant). Bellinger has 4 outfield assists as nicely.
New York Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger (35)© Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
He has offered stability ready the place the Yankees have been pretty weak the previous few years. Along with Trent Grisham and Aaron Judge, Bellinger is a part of top-of-the-line outfields within the sport when it’s wholesome.
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Through Phase 1 of All-Star voting, the 30-year-old completed fourth amongst outfielders with 1,614,585 votes. He is now in Phase 2, which determines who will begin the All-Star Game for the respective leagues.
Before their recreation versus the Detroit Tigers on Monday, the Yankees official X account posted about Bellinger’s candidacy.
The publish lists Judge and Ben Rice as nicely. With all of the star energy that New York has, the membership has been underperforming as of late. They are coming off a sweep by the hands of the lowly Boston Red Sox.
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The workforce is 48-35 this season, one recreation again of the Tampa Bay Rays within the American League East. Those two groups have been in competitors with one another for many of the season. They will play a four-game collection at Tropicana Field subsequent week.
Bellinger has statistically been top-of-the-line left fielders in MLB this yr. If he’s to get the beginning nod, it could be his second time (2019).
It can be outstanding if Bellinger does pull it off, contemplating the sort of profession path that he was on following that 2019 MVP season.
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This story was initially printed by Athlon Sports on Jun 29, 2026, the place it first appeared within the MLB part. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.