The Chicago Cubs’ Cody Bellinger continued his peak hitting form with his most RBI game of the season. He’s looking increasingly likely to make a splash in free agency later this year.

Bellinger batted 4-for-5 with a home run, five RBIs and two runs scored in a 10-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on April 28. It was the first time this season that Bellinger had five hits in a game.

His bat lit up in the first inning. With two outs, he lined a six-pitch, 84.4-mph slider from Pittsburgh left-hander Bailey Poulter to center field to drive in pinch-hitter Nick Horner. He then stole second to put runners in scoring position, but Seiya Suzuki grounded into an infield single.

Bellinger put runners on second and third with two outs in the top of the fifth inning with a 3-1 lead. On a 2B1S count, he lined a 91.1-mph sinker off Poulter’s four-seamer to right-center field. The pitch touched 106.6 mph. Bellinger then scored on Suzuki’s RBI single to extend the lead to 6-1.

In the final at-bat of the ninth, with runners on first and second, he hit a double to left center to bring home both runners. It was a two-run shot to make it 9-1. He drove a 95.8-mph fastball just outside the 92.5-mph zone from left-hander Jose Hernandez for a two-run double down the left-field line.

Clutch ability, reaching base in all three of his at-bats with runners in scoring position. It was Bellinger’s second straight multi-hit and multi-RBI game after going 2-for-2 at Pittsburgh the day before, raising his average to .321 (121-for-377) with 20 home runs, 75 RBI, 76 runs scored, 18 doubles, a .368 slugging percentage, .546 on-base percentage, and a .914 OPS. He ranks fourth in the NL in batting average and fifth in OPS.

He missed a month from May 17 to June 15 with a knee injury, but his home runs and RBIs are still top-notch production.

Notably, Bellinger has amassed 53 RBIs since July, the most of any player in that span.

Cubs manager David Ross said after the game, “He’s a scary hitter because he hits for power on two strikes. But he’s just trying to hit the ball lightly. He’s got the ability to see the ball and hit it to the other side and put it in the gap.”

Bellinger, who was released by the Los Angeles Dodgers last winter and signed a “one-and-done” deal with the Cubs, will likely hit free agency after this season, having his $12.5 million mutual option for next year waived. This is what it was like for the 2019 MVP.바카라사이트

He’s expected to command the second-highest price tag in free agency, behind only Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels), according to local media. That’s at least $200 million, but his agent, Scott Boras, could be looking for 10 years and $300 million. The Dodgers released him as a non-tender because they didn’t want to pay him the $17 million minimum, but he’s now a $30 million-a-year player.

“Demand is always created by scarcity,” Boras told USA Today on Aug. 28. “When you have a five-tool player with a high level of skill at a young age who can hit, run, and power bat as a Gold Glove-caliber center fielder and first baseman, it’s a rare commodity in the major leagues.” “The demand for that kind of player is very, very high,” he said.

“While Boras did not mention Bellinger’s price, he did emphasize the scarcity of supply in free agency,” USA Today reported, noting that Mookie Betts signed a 12-year, $365 million deal three years ago when he was 27. The implication is that Bellinger, now 28, is not worth less than Betts was three years ago.