Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports
GLENDALE, Ariz. — For someone who has struck out in 14 of his 19 spring training at bats, six months after he hit .165, Cody Bellinger is remarkably cheerful.
A group of reporters approached the 26-year-old Dodgers center fielder at his locker at Camelback Ranch on Sunday to ask why he is so bad at baseball. He wanted instead to talk about why he is so bad at Ping-Pong. He had just suffered a loss, two games to one, to reliever Brusdar Graterol, who has his own paddle. To even the odds, Bellinger used Graterol’s paddle and Graterol used a standard one. Graterol’s paddle was at fault for the loss, Bellinger explained brightly. Similarly, he believes he is better at baseball than the numbers would suggest. “I feel very confident in what I’m doing,” he said.
