Perhaps the only way Cody Bellinger's week could have been more impressive was if it was his first week in the big leagues.
But the rookie will have to settle for winning National League Player of the Week in his second stretch of seven Major League days, which is exactly what he did Monday.
Bellinger, 21, has burst onto the scene for the Dodgers since debuting April 25. But he really stole the show this past week. He homered three times and drove in nine runs over five games, three of those Dodgers wins over the Giants and Padres. He posted four multihit games, using a 9-for-21 week to raise his overall batting average to .357.
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"I'm just getting good pitches to hit and trying to do the most with it that I can," Bellinger said.
Five of those nine hits went for extra bases. Bellinger doubled May 1 and tripled May 2 against the Giants, then crushed two homers -- his second multihomer game in two weeks -- Friday against San Diego.
Bellinger capped off his week the next night by crushing a grand slam off a Miguel Diaz fastball. In the process, Bellinger made his case to become the first Dodgers player to capture Player of the Week honors since Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw in July 2015. And Bellinger's fiery start has given the Dodgers a dynamic replacement at first base for Adrian Gonzalez, who went on the disabled list this weekend. Whether at first base or in the outfield, Bellinger is playing his way into a full-time role.
"You have a guy who is coming up and playing good baseball," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "With Cody, every time he steps into the batter's box, you think something really exciting is going to happen."