New Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger takes a swing at some spring training Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.

Q: You’ve been quoted as saying: “I know what I’m capable of doing when I’m healthy.” What are you capable of doing when you’re healthy?

A: I’ve shown it quite a few times in this game. My skill set, you know, it’s dynamic, it’s offense, it’s defense, it’s baserunning, everything I can do. I really can do everything well on a baseball field, and that’s why I wake up every day to go and showcase that, and I get very frustrated with myself when I’m not showing it or I’m not able to show it.

Q: Do you feel like the best is yet to come for you?

A: I can honestly say that. I feel really good with where I’m at. I’m very confident in my ability right now. I feel like my body and everything’s in a good spot. I’m excited to keep it going, and I’m feeling good.

Q: Your 2019 NL MVP season with the Dodgers. Did you feel like you were in a zone the whole year?

A: I was zoned in for so long. Almost to a point where I was just doing it as opposed to even knowing. Honestly, that’s the best place to be, you’re not thinking you’re just doing. Throughout the years of the ups and downs of the years after that, I’ve learned a lot about myself as a baseball player and as a man. I’m confident in my ability, and that’s the type of player I want to be every single year, that’s the type of guy I strive to be.

Q: Can you come close to replicating that season?

A: Yeah, I definitely do think it’s possible. Like I said, I’m healthy, I’m still really young [29], I’m stronger than I was back then. I would argue I’m the same speed. … I would say it’s possible.

5

Q: What drives you?

A: The want to be great. To know what ability I have in this game and wanting to showcase it to the best of my ability.

Q: Describe the immediate emotions of winning the 2020 World Series with the Dodgers.

A: It’s pure joy. The postseason is full of emotions. You go through so many ups and downs so when you get that final out, it’s a feeling you really can’t explain — just all the hard work, and blood, sweat and tears you put into the season. The reason why you work out and the reason why you train and the reason why you grind is to win a World Series.

Q: How do you approach the World Series-or-bust expectations?

A: I think that’s what it’s all about. I think that as a player, that’s all you can ask for. You’re only playing this game to win a World Series and to have a parade at the end of it. And anything short of that is a failure. It’s a blessing to be in that position. There’s nothing anybody wants more than a parade in New York, best place in the world to win one.

Q: What is the biggest obstacle you had to overcome?

A: My failures after the World Series through some injuries — lost myself, lost my swing, lost my confidence — so building that up, understanding what made me good before those injuries, and fighting to get my body in the right position again and to get strong, just so I can allow my athletic ability to take over in the game.

Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees from spring training

Q: How lonely or empty is that feeling when you lose your confidence?

A: Oh yeah, it’s very lonely. You feel like you’re the only one going through it, and in reality, everyone at some point goes through adversity in some sort of way, and mine came right when I got hurt and I was dealing with injuries. That was when I had to deal with adversity a lot, so coming out on top of that, it’s a great feeling, there’s nothing better.

Q: How did you overcome it?

A: I have a bunch of great people in my circle, my family, my wife, my friends who all support me. A lot of it was mental. … I mean, a lot of it was physical at one point as well because my body was just moving differently. It’s a process to get it back. It’s a hard game when you’re 100 percent healthy, it’s full of failure, so when you’re banged up, it kind of stacks on. After a few years figuring out what made me good and just keep fighting like hell to get back to where I am.

5

Q: Was there a sports psychologist who helped you through it?

A: Not necessarily a sports psychologist. You hear golfers a lot talk about injuries and how they lost their swing, they’re very open about it. And I feel like us baseball players aren’t as open as they were. I hear these golfers like, “Yeah I lost my swing, I’ve lost my confidence, it’s not the same.” … And a year or two later, they’re winning a major again, and then they’re winning the Masters. It’s kind of like the same thing in baseball, like, you can just lose your swing, you can lose your confidence, and you have to fight like hell to get it back.

Q: The 2023 Comeback Player of the Year award with the Cubs, how gratifying was that for you?

A: That was just a fun year all around. Felt like my body was in a really good position, and strength was there, my swing was there consistently. I felt very consistent, and I love feeling consistent. Consistency in this game is huge.

Q: Describe the aura around the New York Yankees.

A: When you put on the uniform and you see the logo walking around, you can feel the history, you feel the energy. When you put on the uniform you just feel what all the great players felt, and it’s a special, special feeling.

Q: What did you learn about Aaron Judge during the 2017 Home Run Derby?

A: (Laugh) That I had no chance of winning. It was awesome, it was a great experience. I mean, he’s just different. He’s different.

Q: You’ve gone up against Max Fried.

A: I’ve only got a few singles off him. He’s a hard guy to slug. … 1) he throws obviously very hard. The ball’s getting in the mitt really quick. 2) he’s got a mix of five pitches that he can throw for strikes. He just makes it really hard to get your “A” swing off.

Q: Devin Williams.

A: Two plus pitches, everybody talks about his changeup, but the fastball’s really good, too, so obviously that makes his changeup just as good.

Q: Assume you’re happy to have Gerrit Cole on your side now.

A: Of course. I don’t have much success off him, either (laugh).

Q: What were your initial impressions of Aaron Boone?

A: He’s very knowledgeable about the game. The thing that sticks out to me the most is just his leadership and his ability to lead a room and lead a baseball club.

Q: Describe “The Martian,” Jasson Domínguez.

A: Talent is through the roof. His swings both sides of the plate are really, really good. Really efficient, really powerful. Freak athlete. The sky’s the limit for him.

5

Q: Anthony Volpe.

A: Very mature. The glove speaks for itself. I’m actually very impressed with the bat. This game’s hard, we all make adjustments as we go and he’s got a lot of juice in that bat. I expect good things out of him.

Q: Describe your first time playing at Yankee Stadium.

A: It was actually 2023. When you’re on the Yankees, everyone that comes to Yankee Stadium or when you play against the Yankees, they’re on their “A” game just because of the name and the history and the guys we got in this locker room.

Q: What do you think of the right field porch?

A: Yeah, I think for me to understand it’s there, but to stay within myself and stay inside the baseball, knowing that with a good swing, I pull the ball. The second you try to pull the ball, that’s when things get a little iffy, a little sketchy.

Q: Your father Clay was a Yankees player. Describe his influence on you.

A: He was everything, man. Obviously, growing up in the locker room, being a batboy, and then having a cage in our backyard. He was always available, always teaching me baseball, and I loved it growing up.

5

Q: Did your father tell you about Derek Jeter?

A: The Yankees were the team that called him up after I think it was 11 or 12 or 13 years in the minor leagues to finally give him a shot that changed our family’s dynamic around. He made some money, won [two] World Series rings and was able to stay down in Arizona and having a pretty good lifestyle growing up as a kid.

Q: What did he tell you about Jeter?

A: Everything speaks for itself about Jeter, the way he carries himself. He was the Captain, and pretty much when the team needed anything to get done, Jeter seems like the guy delivering. He had this insane clutch gene in him that every player strives to have.

Q: Describe your 2007 Little League World Series opposite-field home run.

A: (Laugh) Hell, yeah! That’s a good swing right there! That experience was awesome.

Q: How would you sum up fatherhood?

A: I enjoy it so much. It’s pretty cool at seeing two kids [Caiden, 3 ¹/₂, and Cy, 2 in April] mini versions of yourself, and you see so much of yourself in your little ones. I mean, man, they’re just so innocent and so pure … and it’s the cutest thing in the world.

Q: Favorite movie?

A: As a kid, it was all the “Transformers” movies.

Q: Favorite actor?

A: Mark Wahlberg.

Q: Favorite actress?

A: Zoe Saldana.

Q: Favorite meal?

A: New York strip, 14 ounce, medium rare.

Q: Favorite New York City things?

A: I love Central Park. I think Central Park is beautiful, just all that nature in the middle of the concrete jungle … the atmosphere and the energy.

5

Q: What do you want Yankees fans to know about Cody Bellinger?

A: That I love this game, I play it with a lot of passion. I try and give it my all every single day — offense, defense, baserunning. … I get more frustrated at myself when I’m not able to perform to the best of my ability more than anybody.

Q: What are you most proud of about your career so far?

A: So many different instances … coming back after getting DFA’d [by the Dodgers after 2022 season] is pretty important, just bouncing back, showing the mental toughness. I don’t know if anything will top a World Series win, though.

Q: What do you think of playing on the New York stage?

A: It’s baseball’s highest stage, and it comes with high stakes and it comes with World Series-or-bust mentality, but at the end of the day as a player, that’s what you want. You play this game to win a World Series, you play this game to have a parade at the end of it, that’s why you get ready and where we are in February. You go through ups and downs of the season and you know that the boys in the locker room, that’s all you got, we’re brothers in here and we fight like hell every single day to win a baseball game and at the end of the day, we want to be popping champagne and hopping on a parade. That’s the end goal.

Q: Can you envision a parade in New York City?

A: Of course I can. That’s the dream come true. When you put on this uniform, that’s the only thing you want is a World Series at the end of it, and a parade