Chicago Cubs News: MLB names Cody Bellinger National League player of the month

After a herculean month of July, Chicago Cubs center fielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger was named the National League player of the month by MLB Network on Wednesday afternoon.

After an initial slow start upon returning from a month-long hip injury, Cody Bellinger went on an absolute tear in the month of July. In 26 games, Bellinger amassed a .400 batting average with 8 home runs, 24 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.122. The five-tool phenom also swiped a couple of bags and played superb defense at both first base and the outfield.

It's telling that Bellinger's hot streak coincided with the Cubs winning 15 of their 26 games in July highlighted by an eight-game winning streak against the Cardinals and White Sox. When Bellinger's hot, the team seems to win a lot of ball games and the front office knows his value. In his post-trade deadline press conference, Jed Hoyer seemed to hint that he's willing to pony up the money necessary to keep Bellinger in Chicago long-term.

The 28-year-old Bellinger is showing no signs of stopping in August either with a three-hit game as a part of the 20-run barrage the Cubs laid on the Reds on Tuesday night. One of those hits was a towering home run that left some lights on the right field video board malfunctioning

Something has unlocked in Bellinger this year and the Cubs need to make sure they capitalize on it in the offseason. He has become a fan-favorite and it is pretty clear that his presence in the lineup is necessary for consistent offensive production. The front office made the right move by not trading him at the deadline, now they need to make sure they are ready to bargain with Scott Boras to keep this team in contention for next year and beyond.

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