Both were still in their twenties and appeared poised for a long run among the game's elite. Then some stuff happened. Yelich fractured his kneecap near the end of the 2019 season, and signed a seven-year $188.5 million contract extension the next spring that locked him up through the 2028 season.

Some blame the shoulder injury Bellinger sustained banging forearms with then-teammate Kiké Hernández in the 2020 playoffs, an ailment that dragged down his play for much of the next two years.

2019 Back then, Bellinger's career arc had him on track to be one of the great players of his era. A Rookie of the Year Award in 2017 was followed by the MVP in 2019 -- which came with a Gold Glove, as well. In between, he played in 162 games in 2018.

Impact Yelich was able to participate in pregame workouts Tuesday and Wednesday, but he hasn't played at all since last Friday due to lingering back stiffness. Tyrone Taylor, Joey Wiemer and Sal Frelick will again start across the outfield for the Brewers in Thursday's series finale against Miami.

A different body required a new swing. The Dodgers spent the next two seasons trying to create that swing. Bellinger spent the next two seasons unable to fully process and execute their changes. In the end, the Dodgers didn't teach well enough and Bellinger didn't listen well enough and the breakup became inevitable.

“Cody's got that mix of it helps to be a really good player, helps to be in there every day and then he's got that natural ability to be a leader. “He's been on good teams. He's been in the big moments and he just keeps such a level head. It's rare to have such a presence.”

Ernie Banks November 4 – Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs wins the National League MVP Award for the second straight year with 232 points.

The ability of a player both to get on base and to hit for power, two important offensive skills, are represented. An OPS of . 800 or higher in Major League Baseball puts the player in the upper echelon of hitters. Typically, the league leader in OPS will score near, and sometimes above, the 1.000 mark.

Yelich (back) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals. The 32-year-old rejoined the starting nine Friday after a six-game absence due to back stiffness, but he's now on the bench Sunday for the second consecutive contest.

Roster departures On November 6, the day after the 2022 World Series ended, ten Dodgers players officially became free agents: pitchers Tyler Anderson, Andrew Heaney, Tommy Kahnle, Clayton Kershaw, Craig Kimbrel, Chris Martin, David Price, shortstop Trea Turner and outfielders Joey Gallo and Kevin Pillar.

David Vassegh on X: "Cody Bellinger chose his jersey number 35 because his father wore that number.

Bellinger has been an outlier. Among players with at least 250 balls in play, the positive gap between his . 373 wOBA and his . 326 xwOBA is the fifth-highest in baseball.