Bell went 1-for-4 with his first homer of the season Wednesday against the Twins.

EDGE Analysis

The first baseman is batting .400 in 20 at-bats and has at least one hit in each of Pittsburgh's first five games. Bell has also shown a willingness to run on the base paths, though he's been thrown on on both of his stolen base attempts. As a rookie last year, he hit only .255 in 159 games. Bell batted .303 in five minor league campaigns, however, and could provide fantasy owners with a healthy boost in batting average in 2018.

Bell went 3-for-6 with three RBI against the Tigers on Friday.

EDGE Analysis

His situational hitting skills were on full display against Detroit. He reached out across the plate to drive the ball to right-center for a sacrifice fly and also collected an opposite-field RBI single. Bell did make an fielding error on a grounder at first base, but the team is willing to look past his defensive shortcomings. He's slated to hit cleanup exclusively and looks to build upon a rookie season that included 26 homers and 90 RBI.

Bell went 1-for-3 with a home run, three RBI and one run scored Tuesday against the Phillies.

EDGE Analysis

Bell's home run was his fourth of spring training and came against Jake Arrieta. His ability to hit for power in 2017, his first full season in the major leagues, was a nice surprise as his .211 ISO was his highest mark at any professional level. He did sacrifice plate discipline as a result, but he has struck out just six times in 51 at-bats this spring while still producing eight extra-base hits. That development is an encouraging sign that he can build off his 2017 season by maintaining his home run production while also improving his batting average and run-scoring upside.

Bell is hitting .192/.241/.385 with one home run, two strikeouts and two walks in 26 spring at-bats.

EDGE Analysis

There's no reason to be alarmed by the slow start for the Pirates' everyday first baseman, given how small the sample size is. Bell could hit cleanup for Pittsburgh all year long, likely sandwiched in between Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco. Since Feb. 1, he is being drafted as the 23rd first baseman off the board in NFBC leagues (188.2 overall), which is a fair representation of his fantasy value for 2018.

Bell will start Sunday against Washington, even though the Nationals are starting southpaw Gio Gonzalez.

EDGE Analysis

The Pirates have held Bell back against some left-handed pitching -- he's slashing .232/.292/.448 in 137 plate appearances against lefties -- but he needs just one homer to break the franchise rookie record of 26. After a September slump, Bell has six hits (including two home runs) in his last 18 at-bats.

Bell went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run during Thursday's loss to Washington.

EDGE Analysis

Bell's second homer in as many outings tied the game in the top of the ninth inning and improved him to 26 for the season. Thursday's blast ties Bell with Jason Bay for the organization's rookie home-run record. The 25-year-old first baseman has posted a respectable .256/.333/.471 slash line with 89 RBI and 73 runs to go along with the round trippers, and he projects to be a key cog in the Pittsburgh lineup for years to come.

Bell went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Orioles.

EDGE Analysis

He now has 25 homers on the year, leaving Bell one shy of Jason Bay's franchise rookie record. The young switch hitter has faded a bit down the stretch in his first full big-league campaign, but he'll still head into 2018 as a key piece of the Pirates' offense.

Bell, who went hitless in three at-bats Sunday, is slashing .138/.219/.155 in his last 64 plate appearances.

EDGE Analysis

He's driven in just one run despite batting fourth or fifth in all 17 games. The entire Pittsburgh squad has struggled to produce offense in September and Bell may simply be running out of steam in his first full MLB season. Despite the slump, the 25-year-old ranks second on the team with 595 plate appearances and .787 OPS. He's also become more adept playing a new position (first base), ranking sixth among NL first basemen with a -2.1 UZR rating.

Bell is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

EDGE Analysis

Bell is hitting just .178 this month and hasn't collected a multi-hit game since Sept. 8. Manager Clint Hurdle will give the struggling 25-year-old the day off, with Jose Osuna taking over at first base and batting cleanup in his stead.

Bell went 0-for-2 with a pair of strikeouts against Milwaukee on Monday.

EDGE Analysis

He entered the game as a right-handed pinch-hitter in the sixth inning, whiffing against southpaw Josh Hader. Bell has four hits in 30 at-bats and two extra-base hits in 64 September plate appearances. He's totaled one RBI over the last 13 games despite batting fourth or fifth in the order.