Cody Bellinger living up to $162.5 million Yankees contract and more with stellar start

Cody Bellinger, the son of a Yankee, had his family with him in The Bronx this weekend — including his father, Clay.Cody’s well on his way to his first All-Star appearance since his MVP season in 2019, and he said getting the chance to go again would be especially meaningful.“It would absolutely be special,” Bellinger said.“I’m not gonna lie: To experience it with my kids, who I didn’t have the last time I made it, would be amazing.” Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.

It’s part of what’s been a strong opening season to his new contract, as Bellinger has so far lived up to the five-year, $162.5 million deal he signed with the Yankees in the offseason.He reached base twice and stole two bases in Sunday’s 4-1 loss to the Reds and is on pace for his best season since that ’19 season.Of the six contracts signed this offseason by position players that could hit nine figures, Bellinger’s is arguably off to the best start.He entered Sunday with the highest WAR among the group, which includes the Cubs’ Alex Bregman, Baltimore’s Pete Alonso, Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber and Bo Bichette of the Mets, as well as the player some wanted the Yankees to sign to take Bellinger’s spot in the outfield, Kyle Tucker.Tucker is off to a very pedestrian beginning of his tenure with the Dodgers, as he entered Sunday with an OPS-plus of 100, which is league average.Bellinger, meanwhile, has been valuable in the lineup, especially as the Yankees deal with injuries to key members of their roster — including Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.And it comes with Bellinger under the added spotlight of the pricey deal.Bellinger said he’s aware of all of that.“The contract definitely allowed me to take care of my family, but I still want to perform to my highest capability,” Bellinger said.“I want to outperform the contract.

I want to honor it.”Tha...