Good morning everyone, we\u2019re one day closer to actual, bonafide MLB baseball being played. As we draw nearer, we\u2019ll be using our first posts of the day to ask One Big Question about the Yankees. Today, let\u2019s focus on Cody Bellinger. The offseason saga of Bellinger and the Yankees was a slog, but after months of posturing, the two sides managed to reunite, as was expected after the partnership proved so fruitful in Bellinger\u2019s first year in the Bronx.<\/p>\n
Bellinger may have been the Yankees\u2019 best position player not named Aaron Judge in 2025, hitting 29 homers and providing capable defense across the field. His 4.9 fWAR trailed only Judge on the Yankees, and indeed was a top-ten figure among all American League hitters. Suffice to say, Bellinger\u2019s contributions were vital last year, and the Yankees will expect something close to a repeat as they pencil him in as their starting left fielder.<\/p>\n
So, will Bellinger be able to repeat his superlative 2025? Bellinger certainly did enough in his Yankee debut to make one optimistic. At age-30, he\u2019s not at the point on the aging curve where decline feels inevitable, and Bellinger\u2019s athleticism looked, at least to the naked eye, to still be largely intact last year. Moreover, even though Bellinger\u2019s been inconsistent throughout his big-league tenure, his strong 2025 came in right around his career averages, with his .813 OPS last year in line with his career .817 OPS. Why shouldn\u2019t we expect Bellinger to continue trucking right along near that mark?<\/p>\n