Chicago Cubs’ Cody Bellinger has a limited pregame BP routine — and it has set him up for success. Here’s how.
Cody Bellinger’s favorite time to hit happens long before the ballpark opens to fans.
He finds solace during the 45-minute early batting practice sessions where “there’s no camera, no anybody and it’s not as controlled of an environment,” Bellinger explained to the Tribune.
“If I’m going to hit on the field, I prefer the early hitting slot because it’s peaceful — it’s just you on a baseball field and it’s super, super enjoyable.”
Outside of his early on-field work, Bellinger typically does not take on-field BP with his teammates at home or on the road. Bellinger instead prefers to go through his own routine using the indoor cage.
It’s a practice that has become more common in the majors, among them most notably is Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani, who’s been known for how rarely he hits on the field pregame.
Early in the season Bellinger would take BP with his teammates because he felt like he had to in a new organization. He eventually told the Cubs coaching staff that he felt best working in the cage rather than group BP, and they were fully on board with the adjustment to Bellinger’s routine.
“He’s so detailed and diligent with how he works and what he’s trying to get accomplished out of his work and a lot of times the on-field BP can get a little rushed ... you hit and you have to wait for a minute or two minutes while the other three guys hit, so he just likes the controlled environment and likes to work at his own pace and then we can break things down when needed and go slower or as fast as we need,” hitting coach Dustin Kelly told the Tribune.
“It wasn’t surprising to me at all, but it’s eye-opening with how he knows exactly what he needs. He is a great communicator when it comes to how his body feels, what his swing feels like, how he’s going to attack that pitcher.
Bellinger adopted the same batting cage work when he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, only taking pregame BP when he wanted to get a visual on the flight of his fly balls. He recalls last hitting with the Cubs’ BP groups in San Diego at the beginning of June when Bellinger was starting his build-up process in the return from the bone bruise in his left knee that sidelined him one month.
Bellinger’s typical 20-minute pregame cage routine features front tosses and short BP followed by a game-focused round of BP that mixes in location and how he might be attacked by the opposing pitching staff. Beyond the daily work, he believes a lot of factors have contributed to his consistency.
“Understanding my body movement and my body patterns and being able to work out in the gym when I’m feeling weak, get those things stronger and translating that work to the cage, translating that feeling to the game,” Bellinger said.
Bellinger’s reliable production has been the backbone of the Cubs’ offensive success. He entered Wednesday leading the Cubs with his .310 average, .537 slugging percentage, 135 OPS+, 26 home runs and 94 RBIs.
He’s driven in the most runs by a Cubs hitter since Anthony Rizzo also tallied 94 in 2019. Bellinger’s leadoff double in the second inning Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates led to the Cubs’ first run and an early lead.
“He’s great at taking information and then being able to utilize it,” Kelly said. “So he’s just got a really good feel for what he needs on a day-to-day basis and we have the resources to be able to give him anything he needs.”
