The secret is out in Los Angeles, as slugging sensation Cody Bellinger has risen to national prominence while the Dodgers have ascended to the perch in the highly competitive National League West.
For the second straight month, Bellinger was named the NL Rookie of the Month for June on Monday. Last month, the helicopter-swinging lefty led the Majors with 13 homers and paced all rookies in RBIs (27), slugging percentage (.743) and extra-base hits (22).
Also in that stretch, Bellinger knocked in a game-winning run three times for the Dodgers, who finished June 21-7 and entered Monday with a 2 1/2-game lead in a division they've won a franchise-best four straight years.
It's been a remarkable story for Bellinger, who entered the year as MLBPipeline's No. 13 overall prospect and was called up to fill a void when center fielder Joc Pederson went on the disabled list in late April. The club was adamant that Bellinger's stay would not be permanent, but he stuck around to fill in for Adrian Gonzalez when the first baseman went on the DL the day Pederson returned. Bellinger's lofty contributions have kept him with the big league club since.
Bellinger ranks first in the NL with 24 homers despite not debuting until April 25, and will reportedly compete in the T-Mobile Home Run Derby next Monday at Marlins Park in Miami, according to MLB Network Insider Ken Rosenthal.
On Sunday, Bellinger was selected to his first All-Star Game via the player ballot.