Many people have asked, wondered, and worried, is Cody Bellinger ever going to get back to his 2019 form? Well, obviously, that’s a very complex question that requires a very complicated answer. So, I have decided to break down Cody Bellinger’s 2019 swing and compare it to how he swings now, in 2021. Let’s start by breaking down his swing in 2019.
Here’s Bellinger at load in 2019
The thing to notice in this picture is the plane of his barrel. The knob of the bat is pointed down and at the ground which is where he slots his barrel when he’s going good. Next, let’s now move to the next part of his swing and this is when he slots the back elbow and turns the barrel. Here is Bellinger at “slot” meaning when he has slotted the back elbow and turned the barrel.
The key point to notice here is that his head is still in the middle of his body and he is not leaning back. He has a very balanced posture which is extremely important because it allows him to push the backside of his body through while keeping a flat path with his hands.
Here is Bellinger at contact. Notice, that his head is still in the middle of his body, and, this is the biggie, although the backside of his body has traveled down through the ball, his hands have traveled on a FLAT/LEVEL path.
In the picture of Bellinger at slot his hands were at the top of the belt, and, at contact, his hands are STILL at his belt. His hands actually traveled in a slightly downward path to the ball, but he uses his bat angle to match the plane of the pitch. This allows him to maximize the power of his swing while simultaneously keeping his head centered and thus creating a maximum amount of efficiency. In other words, this swing allowed him to hit for power and average. So, in 2019, Bellinger had a very “FLAT” swing and kept his weight centered/in the middle of his body.
2021
Now, fast forward to 2021, and look at his load this year.
In 2021, at load, instead of the knob of the bat pointed down like it was in 2019, it is pointed at the catcher in 2021. Many, many hitters do this and this was, in my opinion, an INTENTIONAL swing change he made to create the stretch, or what some people call the “rubber band” effect to create more power. This swing change has been catastrophic for Bellinger for several reasons. First, as you’ll see in the next picture because he has created so much “stretch” in his load, his knob is now traveling towards third base instead of at the ball. This means that Bellinger is going “AROUND” the ball instead of “TO” and “THROUGH” the ball.
Here is Bellinger at “slot” in 2021.Â
Again, because he has created so much “stretch” at the beginning of his swing, he is going around the ball, his hands are higher, which forces him to tilt the barrel more, which makes his hands travel “up’ which then means the barrel takes longer to get to the point of contact. RESULT: He’s Late as you can see in this picture of him at contact.
Also, now, in 2021, Bellinger is leaning back and his head is now slotted “BEHIND” the centerline of his body. and, thus, his posture is creating an upward plane to his swing which enhances the chain reaction that has led to his inconsistency.
Summary
Bellinger’s swing changes have made him much, much more inconsistent. As I stated earlier, I do think these swing changes were made intentionally as his 2021 swing is classic swing mechanics in this day and age of launch angle. So the answer to the question of whether Bellinger will ever get back to his 2019 form is…..Well….that question can only be answered with another question and that is…Will he ever go back to his 2019 swing? It may be “old school” and it may not create the “Launch Angle” he wants, but, it works.
