Riaan Eminyakeni emihlanu edlule, ubeyiNational League Rookie of the Year. Eminyakeni emithathu edlule, ubengumdlali we-NL Obaluleke Kakhulu. Futhi naphakathi kwemizabalazo ethathe isikhathi eside kumasizini ambalwa kusukela lapho, ubelokhu engowohlelo futhi eyintandokazi kubalandeli abaningi.
Eminyakeni yamuva, bambalwa abadlali abaye baba khona phakathi amaDodgers kunomdlali ophakathi nendawo UCody Bellinger.
Kodwa ngoLwesibili, esikhathini esingaphansi kwamasonto amathathu engazange akhishwe yiqembu futhi waba yisikhulu samahhala, kwaphela isikhathi sokuqashwa kwe-slugger e-Los Angeles.
U-Bellinger uvume imigomo ku-a inkontileka yonyaka owodwa neChicago Cubkutshelwe abantu abaningi abanolwazi ngalesi simo UJorge Castillo weThe Times.
Isivumelwano sibiza u- $17.5 wezigidi eziqinisekisiwe – uzoba nomholo wama- $ 12 wezigidi ngesizini ezayo, bese kuthi ukuthengwa kuka-$5.5 million uma inketho yokubambisana ngo-2024 ingathathwa, okungaba umphumela – okwenza kube nenzuzo encane kune u- $18 wezigidi kanye no-Bellinger bekulindeleke ukuthi athole ngokuxazululwa uma abakwaDodger bemnikeze inkontileka ngenyanga edlule.
“Ngokusobala ngenkathi senza isinqumo noCody emasontweni ambalwa edlule,” Umongameli we-Dodgers wemisebenzi ye-baseball u-Andrew Friedman uthe ngosuku lwesibili lwemihlangano yasebusika yalolu phiko, “sazi ukuthi lokhu kungenzeka.”
Ngempela, lezi zindaba azizange zibe isimanga esikhulu.
Yize abakwaDodger bebelokhu benentshisekelo yokubuyisela uBellinger ngesizini ezayo, ukuhlangana kabusha bekuhlale kubonakala kungenzeki lapho esefike emakethe evulekile.
Ngokusho komenzeli kaBellinger, uScott Boras, umdlali wangaphandle uthole inzalo emaqenjini “ayi-11 kuye kwayi-12”. Uthole okunikezwayo okuningi isizini engaphezu kweyodwa, nakuba ancamela isivumelwano sonyaka esingamvumela ukuthi akhe kabusha isitoko sakhe kanye nenkampani yamahhala yokuhlola futhi onyakeni kusukela manje. Futhi ekugcineni, ukubhida kwezinkonzo zakhe ekugcineni kwadlula lokho abakwaDodgers ababezimisele ukukusebenzisa.
U-Bellinger manje uzobheka isiqalo esisha e-Chicago – kuyilapho abakwa-Dodgers bezohlola izindlela zokushintsha ilungu lakamuva leqembu langonyaka odlule ukuze lihambe lisebenza mahhala.
“Izinto zizobukeka zihluke kancane,” kusho imenenja uDave Roberts ngesikhathi ekhuluma nabezindaba.
Kakade kule sizini ezoqala, abakwaDodgers balahlekelwe yizitsha ezimbili zokuqala kusukela ngokushintshana kwangonyaka odlule: Tyler AndersonI-WHO usayine ngenyanga edlule neziNgelosi; futhi Andrew Heaneyokubikwa ukuthi ngoLwesibili uvumelene nesivumelwano seminyaka emibili, esingamaRandi ayizigidi ezingu-25 neTexas Rangers (esingakhuphukela ku-$37 million uma kunemihlomulo).
I-bullpen yabo iphinde yabhekana nokushiyeka okubalulekile ngesonto eledlule eChris Martin, ojoyine i-Red Sox ngenkontileka yeminyaka emibili, engu-$ 17.5-million; kanye noTommy Kahnle, okubikwa ukuthi uvumelene ngoLwesibili nenkontileka yeminyaka emibili, engu-$11.5-million neNew York Yankees.
Ushintsho olwengeziwe lungase lube semaphethelweni, futhi, nomuntu wesithathu osenesikhathi eside esebenza ngaphansi Justin Turner ukuqhubeka nokuhlala emakethe yamahhala.
I-Dodger ‘Cody Bellinger igijima ibheke kusisekelo sesibili ngemuva kokushaya okuphindwe kabili phakathi ne-inning yesithathu ibhekene ne-St. Louis Cardinals ngoSepthemba 25 e-Dodger Stadium.
(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
Kuze kube manje, nokho, akukho ukusuka okuye kwagqama ukwedlula okwakaBellinger. Uzoshiya imbobo emaphakathi uFriedman noRoberts abathi iqembu lihlela ukubhekana nalo ngokunezela kule sizini ezoqala.
“Kunabadlali abathokozisayo emakethe esiqhubeka nokuba nezingxoxo ngabo,” kusho uFriedman. “Ngakho-ke ngokombono wethu, sithanda ukukhulisa iqembu lethu.”
Ukufeza lokho, abakwaDodgers bazoba nezinketho eziningi okufanele bazicabangele. Ngemva Aroni umahluleli – ohlale engasayinanga kusukela ngoLwesibili ebusuku naphezu kombiko ohoxisiwe wokuthi ulibhekise ku-San Francisco Giants – uBrandon Nimmo no-Andrew Benintendi yisihloko sekilasi labadlali abangaphandle kulo nyaka. Izinketho ezingabizi kakhulu njengoMichael Conforto noma uKevin Kiermaier zingase zibe nengqondo, futhi.
Ngaphakathi, UJames Outman ungumdlali weqembu olungele i-MLB, nakuba engase aqale akhululeke njengomdlali weqembu lesikhashana. Ithemba labanye UMiguel Vargas isikhathi esichithwe enkundleni yesokunxele ngonyaka odlule, kodwa cishe sizobona isikhathi esengeziwe sokudlala endaweni yesibili noma yesithathu ngonyaka ozayo.
Noma kunjalo, kwakuyiminyaka embalwa edlule lapho uBellinger bekulindeleke ukuthi abe yitshe lesisekelo le-franchise. Ezinkathini zakhe zokuqala ezine, ube nephesenti elingu-.911 on-base-plus-slugging, wafaka amabhande wasekhaya angu-123 futhi wakhethwa kabili njenge-All-Star. Uwine iGlove Glove, waqanjwa ngokuthi iSilver Slugger futhi wanikeza ezinye zezikhathi ezikhumbulekayo ngesikhathi ikilabhu igijima isicoco seWorld Series ka-2020.
Kwakungaleyo postseason, nokho, ukuthi uBellinger walimala ehlombe ngesikhathi sokugubha noKiké Hernández, okudinga ukuthi ahlinzwe i-labrum ngesikhathi se-offseason.
Akasabukeki njengesiqu sakhe kusukela ngaleso sikhathi, eshaya nje u-.193 ngama-run angu-29 asekhaya eminyakeni emibili edlule.
UBoras ucabanga ukuthi lobu busika bungashintsha ikhasimende lakhe. Ugcizelele ukuthi uBellinger ekugcineni uvuselela amandla ehlombe lakhe. Uphinde waqinisekisa ukuthi uBellinger naye usanda kuqeqeshwa esikhungweni se-baseball sase-Oklahoma State, lapho owayengumdlali weligi enkulu kanye neklayenti le-Boras uMat Holliday engumsizi womqeqeshi oyivolontiya.
“Le sizini yokuphuma ibe yinhle kuyena,” kusho uBoras. “Uzizwa ehluke kakhulu kunalokhu abekwenza ekupheleni kwesizini edlule.”
Futhi manje, kuzohlanganisa noshintsho lwendawo, kanye – leyo ephinde inyakazise lokho osekuba yisizini eguqukayo ekhulayo eqenjini eliwine imidlalo engu-111 enerekhodi le-franchise phakathi nesizini evamile, kodwa kanye kuphela kuma-playoffs.
“Inhloso yethu ukuhlanganisa i-ballclub yobuqhawe,” kusho uRoberts. “Lokho akushintshi.”
