But Bellinger’s second season will be an important one for him and his teammates; Bellinger looks to avoid a sophomore slump and the Dodgers aim to build on last season’s success and make a return trip to the Fall Classic.

MORE: Bellinger named SN Rookie of the Year in players’ vote

Bellinger spoke with me about his 2018 outlook, new pace-of-play rules and more as part of a promotional campaign for Met-Rx, a nutritional supplement that he has incorporated into his workout routine to help maintain his weight during the season.

(This interview has been edited for clarity and length.)

Sporting News: What’s the mindset in the Dodgers clubhouse as we near Opening Day?

Cody Bellinger: We’re all ready. Obviously, (the World Series loss) was a tough thing to end on. I got out to spring training a week and a half early, two weeks early, and I want to say 25 or 30 guys were already out there. So we’re all ready to get the season started and show last year wasn’t a fluke.

SN: Do you guys feel like there’s some unfinished business?

CB: Yeah. I think we’re all happy, especially me, with what I did my rookie season. But, you know, that’s over — the awards and everything were cool — but now we’ve just kind of got to focus on this season, and we’re all hungry for more.

SN: What’s going to be the biggest challenge for you after that great rookie year to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump?

CB: Just put it in the back of my mind and definitely not even think about the sophomore slump. Everyone keeps asking me about it and I don’t really care about it. I’m going to go out every day and do what I did last year and not worry about anything — just having fun and trying to help the team win.

SN: How will the experience from your rookie season, going all the way to Game 7 of the World Series, help you in your second season?

CB: Obviously we’ve been in the biggest game you can ever be in. We have a young team, so it was good to have our team be a part of that crazy series, and I think it’s only going to get easier from here for us. Or not easier, but we’ve been through it all.

SN: How did you come to be involved with Met-Rx?

CB: It was kind of an easy choice for me. I’ve always had trouble keeping weight on, or putting weight on as well. The Met-Rx products … helped me take my workouts to the next level. The Big 100 bars were big for me. I have one before my workouts every day to kind of fuel me throughout the whole workout.

SN: When did you start using it?

CB: Toward the end of the season last year. I kinda wanted to make a change. I was losing a lot of weight throughout the season last year, and I was eating a lot of food, but I wanted to incorporate something else in my system. I just kept eating those Big 100 bars. It’s a great meal replacement, or a great add-on after a meal.

SN: What are your thoughts on the new rules about mound visits? As a first baseman, is this something you’ll have to remind yourself of, to make sure you don’t walk over there out of habit and get charged with a visit?

CB: Absolutely. I think it’s good that they’re incorporating it into spring training games right now. I think it’s just going to take a little getting used to, just because you’re so used to walking out to the pitcher after a double play or something — and you can’t leave your position now. I think it’s just gonna be something that we have to get used to and really watch out just so we don’t ruin it for the team.

MORE: Opening Day schedule for all 30 teams

SN: What are your thoughts on pace of play in general?

CB: The game of baseball is slow in general, (but) it’s getting to a point where some games are getting ridiculously slow with the amount of timeouts or pauses. … I like what they’re doing with it, so we’ll see how it goes.

SN: If you could change one baseball rule, what would it be?

CB: I don’t know. As a hitter, I think if we wanted to change something, we should scoot the mound back. But that’s never gonna happen.

SN: A lot has been made of the slow offseason and players not getting good contract offers. Some people say the free-agent system needs fixing. Do you agree with that?

CB: I don’t know much about what went on. I don’t really understand all that kind of stuff, if I’m being honest, so I don’t really have an exact answer. But it definitely was a weird, weird offseason for the players. There are still a lot of deserving players that aren’t signed yet, that’s for sure.

SN: Is that something players have been talking about in camp?

CB: I think it crosses our minds. But … it’s kind of out of our control right now.

SN: This one is just for fun. What’s the last TV show you binged?

CB: “Sons of Anarchy." I crushed that show.

SN: So you liked it, I guess?

CB: Yeah, I loved that show.