Cody Bellinger

Bellinger was always due for some negative regression after he belted 39 home runs in just 480 at-bats during his rookie 2017 season, but he should now be due for a bit of positive regression after managing just 25 home runs last year. His hard hit rate tailed off a bit, but his exit velocity and launch angle remained unchanged, so he's a good bet to return to the 30-35 HR range this year. Bellinger promisingly trimmed his strikeout rate, indicating that he should be able to keep his batting average in the .260 range even if his BABIP drops a little, and the 10-15 steals he provides give him a leg up on most other 1B-eligible players. The fact he's unlikely to hit .280-.300 keeps him a notch below Freeman, Goldschmidt, and Rizzo, but he's already the next best thing and is still just 23 years old.

Cody Bellinger working to fix swing this off-season

Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Monday that Cody Bellinger will visit Dodger Stadium this week to work on his swing with the team's hitting coaches.

Fantasy Impact

Bellinger has been no strange to slumps throughout his first two years in the big leagues. His large, uppercut swing certainly creates some holes in it. Bellinger fell of a little in 2018 and hit just 25 homers with a .814 OPS. Those are still fine numbers, but it wasn't what fantasy owners were expecting. He's an interesting "buy low" option for 2019.