December 9, 2021

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger is just two years removed from an MVP award but he was the polar opposite in 2021. Despite a down 2020 where he slashed .239/.333/.450, he was largely taken within the top 20 picks in fantasy drafts the following year. He managed to make that stat line look good in comparison to his atrocious '21 campaign where he slashed .165/.240/.302 and his strikeout rate jumped to a career-worst 26.9%. Injuries are partly to blame, as he only logged 350 plate appearances amid multiple IL stints for different ailments. Perhaps he was never quite right and/or couldn't find a groove at the plate due to inconsistent playing time. Whatever the case, it was a season to forget and a year of frustration for fantasy managers. Heading into 2022, it will take a lot of trust that Bellinger can regain his previous form after consecutive duds. At age 26, he is in his prime and has every physical attribute you'd want out of an elite player. The Dodgers will be loaded on offense as usual. Bellinger is locked into everyday playing time unless injury strikes again or he continues to hit so poorly that he forces his way into a platoon. It's hard to imagine the latter occurring, so consider Bellinger a huge upside pick in the early-to-mid portion of drafts. His draft stock will be all over the place depending on how risk-averse managers in a given league are, but he isn't likely to last beyond the first 75 picks in most drafts.--Pierre Camus