Josh Bell 1B/DH WSH Wed 4/18/18 5:35 PM
Josh Bell
1B/DH WSH
Bell went 2-for-5 with a double, a run scored and three RBI in Wednesday's 10-2 win over the Rockies.
EDGE Analysis
The young switch hitter continues to produce from the heart of the Pirates' order despite not yet finding his power stroke, and Bell now sports a .278/.338/.389 slash line with only one homer but 11 runs and 13 RBI in 18 games. Expect him to start putting more balls over the fence as the weather warms up.
Josh Bell 1B/DH WSH Sun 4/15/18 6:19 PM
Josh Bell
1B/DH WSH
Bell went 3-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 7-3 victory over the Marlins.
EDGE Analysis
In addition to driving in three runs Sunday, Bell hit his fourth double of the year. While it remains to be seen if his .305 batting average will move back towards last season's mark of .255, Bell has started the season in stride and has posted a .797 OPS over 15 games.
Josh Bell 1B/DH WSH Tue 4/10/18 6:25 PM
Josh Bell
1B/DH WSH
Bell went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and one RBI in Tuesday's 8-5 win against the Cubs.
EDGE Analysis
Bell's terrific start to the season continued Tuesday, as his multi-hit effort brought his batting average up to .333 through 10 games. With eight runs scored and seven RBI in that time, Bell has been a solid source of run production as well. Going forward, Bell is in line to serve as the Pirates' everyday first baseman and should see plenty of opportunities to continue elevating the .258 career batting average he entered the season with.
Josh Bell 1B/DH WSH Thu 4/5/18 11:00 AM
Josh Bell
1B/DH WSH
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.
Josh Bell 1B/DH WSH Fri 3/30/18 11:24 PM
Josh Bell
1B/DH WSH
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.
Josh Bell 1B/DH WSH Wed 3/28/18 5:38 PM
Josh Bell
1B/DH WSH
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.
Josh Bell 1B/DH WSH Mon 3/12/18 4:20 PM
Josh Bell
1B/DH WSH
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.
Josh Bell 1B/DH WSH Sun 10/1/17 1:59 PM
Josh Bell
1B/DH WSH
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.
Josh Bell 1B/DH WSH Fri 9/29/17 8:00 AM
Josh Bell
1B/DH WSH
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.
Josh Bell 1B/DH WSH Wed 9/27/17 11:27 PM
Josh Bell
1B/DH WSH
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.