New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger was named the MVP of the 2026 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Bellinger only got his spot in the American League starting line-up after his Yankees teammate, Aaron Judge, had to pull out of the game with a fractured rib.
The last time Bellinger was an All-Star, he also wore a blue uniform, but it wasn’t Navy Pinstripes; it was Dodger Blue. The year was 2019, and it was Bellinger’s second all-star appearance in three seasons. In a Yahoo Sports story, Bellinger said he figured that appearing in the Midsummer Classic would be an annual occurrence. Bellinger recalled thinking, “‘Oh, I’ll be here every year.’ And it’s not like that. It’s hard. It’s hard to be an All-Star.”
It’s easy to understand why Bellinger believed he’d be an all-star every year. In that 2019 season, Bellinger was also named the National League MVP. This came off the 2018 season, when he was the National League Championship Series MVP, and the 2017 season, when he was the NL Rookie of the Year. Bellinger seemed destined to be a superstar, and then it all fell apart. By 2023, the Dodgers declined to re-sign him to a new contract.
The Dodgers effectively cut Bellinger, and he became a free agent. What went wrong?
Injuries began to plague Bellinger. At the end of the 2020 season, he had shoulder surgery, and then in the early part of the 2021 season, Bellinger collided with Oakland A’s pitcher Reymin Guduan, which tests later revealed caused him to suffer a hairline fracture of the left fibula. Bellinger struggled at the bat for most of that year, and then late in the season, he suffered another fracture, this time his rib, when colliding with teammate Gavin Lux.
Bellinger finished the 2021 season with an anemic .165 batting average. This was followed up with another poor season in 2022 when he batted .210 and had the lowest on-base average among qualified hitters in the Major League at .265. This was a long drop from MVP. Time for a new start.
After being released by the Dodgers, Bellinger signed with the Chicago Cubs. In Chicago, Bellinger did not allow his poor batting performance from the previous two seasons to put him in a negative headspace that would prevent him from improving. During the 2023 season, he had a .307 batting average with 26 home runs and was named the National League Comeback Player of the Year. Two years later, Bellinger was traded to the Yankees, and he made his return to the All-Star Game in 2026.
Bellinger’s last few seasons in Los Angeles had been a rollercoaster, so how did he deal with the mental fatigue and get his career back on track?
Accept Failure: Even the best hitters in history failed far more often than they succeeded. Bellinger made a point of reminding himself that failure is part of the game, and he didn’t let slumps cause him to mentally spiral out of control.
Meditative Music: Although Bellinger didn’t meditate, he did calm his mind by listening to “zenful” music when commuting or during workouts.
Avoid Negativity: Bellinger worked on keeping things positive by strictly limiting his social media interactions and the toxic comments that can be found on those pages.
Control the Controllables: Bellinger focused on things he could control, like his batting swing mechanics and pre-game routines, not on outside noise from the media and fans.
Hitting Strategy Pivot: Many people get very fixated on how they do things, even when they no longer work. Bellinger’s injuries disallowed him from batting the old way, but he was open-minded enough to change from swinging for the fences to becoming more of a contact hitter.
Find Ways to Contribute: Even when his batting average dipped to its lowest point, Bellinger worked on being a great defensive player to add value when the other team was at bat.
Even Keel: Bellinger’s teammates and coaches have often praised him for not getting too up or too down. This served him well when his batting average dramatically dipped.
Embrace Change: Bellinger became a star in Los Angeles, but when the Dodgers let him go, he seized the opportunity to reset his baseball career in Chicago with the Cubs.
Family First: This one’s the most important. Bellinger leaned on a strong family support system and a keen understanding that they were more meaningful to his life than any game he played.
Bellinger’s connection to his family was fully evident when he had his two young daughters in tow with him while being interviewed by the media after being named All-Star MVP. The post-game press conference was a family affair with his wife, both of his daughters, and his father in attendance.
Wonderful moments of success are all the more special when you can share them with loved ones who were with you during times of struggle.
