Cody Bellinger Bio
Cody James Bellinger is an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). A two-time All-Star and 2019 National League Most Valuable Player, Bellinger has built a reputation as a power hitter and a versatile defender across the outfield and first base. He previously played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs, winning a World Series championship with the Dodgers in 2020.
Born on July 13, 1995, in Scottsdale, Arizona, Bellinger is the son of former major leaguer Clay Bellinger, whose own career helped shape his son’s path in the sport. Selected by the Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB draft, Bellinger rose quickly through the minor leagues and debuted in the majors in 2017.
Early Life and Background
Cody James Bellinger was born on July 13, 1995, in Scottsdale, Arizona, to Clay and Jennifer Bellinger. His mother worked for Sotheby’s International Realty, while his father played for the New York Yankees and Anaheim Angels of Major League Baseball from 1999 to 2002, winning two World Series championships in that span. Growing up in a baseball family, Cody was surrounded by the game from a young age, and his father’s professional experience gave him a unique understanding of what it took to succeed at the highest level.
Bellinger first gained national attention as a youth player when he helped his Chandler, Arizona National Little League team reach the 2007 Little League World Series at the age of 11. He was a year younger than most of his teammates but delivered a four-RBI performance in the Little League West Regional that clinched the team’s berth in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Chandler was eliminated in the semifinals by teams from Lubbock, Texas, and Warner Robins, Georgia.
A few years later, Bellinger became a standout baseball player for Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona. He was voted team MVP as both a junior and a senior, and he hit .429 during his senior season. Although scouts from the Yankees invited him to a pre-draft practice, most teams were hesitant to use a high draft pick on a player who stood 6 feet 4 inches but weighed only 170 pounds and hit only one home run that year.
Path to Baseball
The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Bellinger in the fourth round, 124th overall, of the 2013 MLB draft. He had committed to play college baseball for the Oregon Ducks but chose to forgo that commitment and sign with the Dodgers for a $700,000 signing bonus, roughly $300,000 more than the recommended amount for a fourth-round pick. Bellinger spent his first professional season with the Rookie League AZL Dodgers in 2013, batting .210 in 47 games while showing plate discipline with 31 walks and 16 extra-base hits.
The 2014 season brought Bellinger to the Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer League, where he batted .328 with 34 RBIs in 46 games. Assigned to the Class A-Advanced Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in 2015, Bellinger became a California League midseason and postseason All-Star and helped the Quakes to a Cal League championship title, earning Championship Series MVP honors after a game-winning home run in the clinching game. He finished the year batting .264 with 30 home runs, 103 RBIs, and 97 runs scored in 478 at-bats.
A strained hip delayed Bellinger’s progress in 2016, but he returned to the Double-A Tulsa Drillers, where he battled through early struggles and finished the year batting .263 with 23 home runs and 65 RBIs in 114 games. A late-season promotion to the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers led to three home runs in three games, and his strong Arizona Fall League performance cemented his status as a top prospect heading into 2017.
Cody Bellinger Career
Early Career (2017)
Bellinger opened the 2017 season at Triple-A Oklahoma City, batting .343 with five home runs and 15 RBIs in his first 18 games. With the Dodgers’ outfield struggling, Los Angeles called him up on April 25, 2017, and he made his major league debut that night against the San Francisco Giants. He scored his first major league hit on an infield grounder and was the third Dodger since 1913 to be intentionally walked in his debut.
Four days later, Bellinger launched the first two home runs of his major league career against the Philadelphia Phillies, including one of three consecutive home runs off closer Héctor Neris. His rapid ascent set the stage for a record-shattering rookie campaign that ended with the unanimous National League Rookie of the Year Award.
Los Angeles Dodgers Era (2017-2022)
Bellinger’s 2017 rookie season was one of the most explosive in Dodgers history. He tied the franchise rookie record for home runs in a month with nine in May, became the fastest player in MLB history to record four multi-home run games, and tied Wally Berger and Gary Sánchez as the fastest players to reach 20 home runs. He hit for the cycle on July 15 against the Miami Marlins, broke Mike Piazza’s Dodgers rookie home run record on September 3, and finished the year with 39 home runs, 97 RBIs, and a .267 batting average in 132 games. He also became the youngest Dodger to hit a postseason home run, though his seven-game World Series struggle ended with the Dodgers falling to the Houston Astros.
The 2018 season began slowly for Bellinger, but a midseason benching sparked a small adjustment to his batting stance, and he finished the year batting .260 with 25 home runs and 76 RBIs in 162 games. In the postseason, his 13th-inning single and go-ahead home run in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series helped the Dodgers clinch the pennant and earned him NLCS MVP honors. The Dodgers ultimately lost the 2018 World Series to the Boston Red Sox in five games.
2019 was Bellinger’s signature year. He set multiple Dodgers records, including fastest to 100 career home runs, and was a finalist for the NL MVP alongside Christian Yelich. Bellinger finished with career highs in batting average (.305), home runs (47), and RBIs (115), earning the NL MVP, the NL Gold Glove Award, the NL Silver Slugger Award, and a selection to the inaugural All-MLB First Team. After a 2020 season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dodgers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in six games for Bellinger’s first World Series championship.
Persistent shoulder, calf, and rib injuries hampered Bellinger in 2021, when he batted a career-low .165. He underwent arthroscopic glenoid labrum surgery in November 2020, suffered a hairline fracture in his left fibula after a collision in 2021, and later fractured a rib on a collision with teammate Gavin Lux. Bellinger returned to a .210 average with 19 home runs in 2022, and the Dodgers non-tendered him after the season, making him a free agent.
Chicago Cubs Era (2023-2024)
Bellinger signed a one-year contract with a mutual option for 2024 with the Chicago Cubs on December 14, 2022. Named the National League Player of the Month for July 2023, he batted .307 with 26 home runs and 97 RBIs during the regular season and won the NL Comeback Player of the Year Award. After declining his mutual option in November 2023, Bellinger re-signed with the Cubs on February 27, 2024, on a three-year, $80 million contract with opt-out clauses.
During the 2024 season, Bellinger batted .266 with 18 home runs and 78 RBIs. He exercised the option on his contract for the 2025 season before being traded to the Yankees on December 17, 2024, in a deal that sent Cody Poteet to Chicago along with $5 million in cash considerations.
New York Yankees Era (2025-Present)
Bellinger debuted with the New York Yankees in 2025 and produced one of the most consistent seasons of his career. On May 4, 2025, he hit a two-run homer off Taj Bradley of the Tampa Bay Rays for his 200th career home run. On June 10, he recorded his 1,000th career hit on an RBI single off Taylor Clarke, and on July 11, he hit three home runs against the Chicago Cubs in an 11-0 win, his first career three-homer game. He finished 2025 with a .272/.334/.480 slash line, 29 home runs, and 98 RBIs.
Bellinger opted out of his contractual option for 2026 and entered free agency as one of the most highly rated position players on the market. On January 26, 2026, he re-signed with the Yankees on a five-year, $162.5 million contract that included player opt-outs after the second and third years and a full no-trade clause, cementing his long-term role in pinstripes.
Driving Style and Strengths
Bellinger’s profile is built on rare power from the left side of the plate, where he has routinely produced 25-plus home run seasons. Originally weaker as a hitter than as a fielder, he transformed his swing during the 2014-15 offseason with instructors Shawn Wooten and Damon Mashore, incorporating a small hand and wrist movement into his load phase. He later made additional adjustments before his 2019 MVP campaign, including a more relaxed stance and a renewed focus on hitting under breaking balls.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Bellinger’s most memorable moments are his unanimous 2017 NL Rookie of the Year Award, his 2019 NL MVP, and his 2020 World Series championship with the Dodgers. He also set franchise records for fastest to 100 home runs, hit for the cycle as a rookie, and delivered a walk-off single in Game 7 of the 2018 NLCS, an effort that earned him NLCS MVP honors.
Cody Bellinger Career Wins
Across his major league career, Cody Bellinger has been recognized as one of the National League’s premier two-way players, combining middle-of-the-order power with Gold Glove-caliber defense. He has been selected to two All-Star Games, earned MVP and World Series honors, and is a two-time Silver Slugger recipient.
MLB Highlights
Bellinger’s MLB highlights include his unanimous 2017 NL Rookie of the Year Award, his 2019 NL MVP, the 2019 Gold Glove Award, and Silver Slugger Awards in 2019 and 2023. He was also named the 2018 NLCS MVP after helping the Dodgers reach the World Series.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside of the majors, Bellinger was the California League Championship Series MVP in 2015 after helping the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes to a Cal League title. He was a midseason and postseason California League All-Star, earned All-Fall League team honors with the Glendale Desert Dogs in 2016, and was named to the AFL Top Prospects Team.
Cody Bellinger Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Bellinger comes from a deep baseball family. His father, Clay Bellinger, played in the major leagues for the New York Yankees and Anaheim Angels, winning two World Series titles between 1999 and 2002. His mother, Jennifer Bellinger, has worked for Sotheby’s International Realty.
Personal Life
Bellinger has one younger brother, Cole, who is four years his junior. A standout pitcher at Hamilton High School, Cole was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 15th round of the 2017 MLB draft and played two seasons in the Padres farm system before retiring in 2021. Cody is married to Chase Carter, and the couple has two daughters, born in November 2021 and April 2023. A character inspired by Bellinger makes a cameo appearance in the video game Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, with Bellinger providing motion capture for the Viking Otta Sluggasson.
2025 Season Performance
Bellinger’s first season with the New York Yankees was a strong one. He finished the year with a .272/.334/.480 slash line, 29 home runs, and 98 RBIs, providing middle-of-the-order production as the Yankees chased a playoff berth. On May 4, he hit his 200th career home run off Taj Bradley, and on June 10, he recorded his 1,000th career hit. He was named the American League Player of the Week for the week of September 2 after a red-hot stretch at the plate.
One of the most memorable moments of Bellinger’s 2025 campaign came on July 11, when he hit three home runs against the Chicago Cubs in an 11-0 win, his first career three-homer game. His ability to play both outfield and first base gave the Yankees flexibility, and his defense remained sharp throughout the season.
Following the 2025 season, Bellinger opted out of his contract and entered free agency as one of the most sought-after position players on the market. On January 26, 2026, he re-signed with the Yankees on a five-year, $162.5 million contract, with player opt-outs after the second and third years and a full no-trade clause, ensuring his role in pinstripes for years to come.
