Willie Calhoun knows first-hand that Cody Bellinger would fit with Yankees – The Denver Post

If the Yankees do their due diligence on Cody Bellinger, they won’t have a hard time finding an encouraging character witness.

“He’s a great ballplayer, obviously, but he’s a better person,” Willie Calhoun told the Daily News. “I can’t say enough good things about him.”

Calhoun came up with Bellinger in the Dodgers’ minor league system, where they played together at every level from High-A to Triple-A. Calhoun and Boston’s Alex Verdugo lived with Bellinger, a Scottsdale native, during the Arizona Fall League, and Calhoun crashed with Bellinger’s family in Arizona prior to spring training in 2017.

“I’ve seen him grow from a guy that hit three homers in short season [leagues] to a guy that hit 40 homers in the big leagues,” Calhoun said. “So it’s been fun to watch him grow into the guy he is.”

Calhoun described Bellinger as a laidback person, someone who wouldn’t succumb to the pressure of playing in New York City.

The topic came up because Bellinger is a trade candidate, and his Cubs are in town to play the Yankees this weekend. With the trade deadline set for Aug. 1, Chicago playing sub-.500 ball, and the Yankees in need of left field help, Bellinger makes sense as a possible target.

On Friday, Bellinger showed off a left-handed swing tailor-made for Yankee Stadium when he drilled a long home run off Carlos Rodón.

“This dude lives for these types of environments,” Calhoun said. “Obviously, he played in L.A. his whole career, and that’s a big market itself. Chicago’s a big market, too. I feel like he’s built for this environment. He lives for these big moments. He’s had a lot of clutch moments in the playoffs with the Dodgers, a lot of big home runs.

“I know for a fact he would fit right in and he would probably thrive in something like this. That’s just who he is as a person.”

It also helps that Bellinger is familiar with the Yankees organization.

His dad, Clay, played in 181 games for the Bombers from 1999-2001. The light-hitting utilityman won two World Series rings in the process.

“He grew up in a Yankee clubhouse,” Calhoun said of the 27-year-old Bellinger. “So that dude, he knows what it’s about. He wouldn’t let these lights be too bright for him.”

Bellinger, a first-year Cub who could be a free agent after this winter, is enjoying somewhat of a resurgent season after batting injuries in recent years.

The 2019 National League MVP entered Saturday’s contest slashing .303/.359/.502 with 13 doubles, nine homers, 29 RBI and 11 stolen bases over 56 games. The 2020 World Series champ also has a 132 OPS+, which easily tops that of any qualified, healthy Yankee.

“It’s good to see he’s had a really big bounce-back year,” Calhoun said. “He’s back to his old self. I’ve seen him up close for years, and I watched him win Rookie of the Year. I’ve seen him win MVP. I’ve seen him do it in the minor leagues. I’ve seen him do it on the big stage. But he’s back.”

The Yankees’ lineup, meanwhile, has been scuffling for a while with Aaron Judge on the injured list, and the team has received mixed offensive production and poor defense from a long list of left fielders this season. That includes Calhoun, who is currently on the injured list.

Bellinger has only played center and first for the Cubs this year, but he has experience in left.

“I’m still confident in the group of players,” Aaron Boone, speaking in general terms, said Saturday while discussing the Yankees’ offense. “And then hopefully, you add in a guy here and there that changes it a little bit and you get it going.”

If the Yankees were to add Bellinger — or any other outfielder — Calhoun would certainly lose playing time once he’s healthy. A trade could even threaten his roster spot. The same goes for other Yankees outfielders.

Calhoun knows this, but he would still welcome a reunion with Bellinger.

“He can help any team win right now,” Calhoun said. “He would be a great asset to any ballclub. For us, obviously we’re kind of struggling right now offensively, but getting a guy like him that can bolster our lineup is huge enough that it will elevate everyone’s game.”

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