Josh Bell has added another accomplishment to an already astounding résumé for his young career.
The Pirates' 25-year-old first baseman was named one of three finalists for the BBWAA National League Rookie of the Year Award on Monday, joining the Dodgers' Cody Bellinger and the Cardinals' Paul DeJong.
The winner of the award will be announced next week and although Bellinger is the odds-on favorite, losing would do little to alter what was an outstanding first full season in the major leagues for Bell.
Bell ranked second among National League rookies in RBI, runs, triples, total bases and extra-base hits while tying for second in home runs. He set the National League record for most home runs by a switch-hitting rookie and also tied the Pirates' rookie home run record with 26.
He slashed .255/.334/.466 with a team-high 90 RBI and played in 159 of 162 games, including 139 starts. Additionally, Bell proved to be capable of handling his first full season at first base. After often being replaced late in games, Bell earned Clint Hurdle’s confidence as his play at first steadily improved, registering 6 defensive runs saved according to Fan Graphs.
Bell's 16 home runs and 35 extra-base hits prior to the All-Star break are the most ever by a Pirates rookie and he led all rookies with a .301 average while batting with runners in scoring position. Despite Bell's emergence, the Pirates ranked 27th in Major League Baseball in batting average, 21st in on-base percentage, 29th in slugging percentage, 29th in home runs and 28th in runs.
Bellinger, who played in 93 games after making his major league debut April 25, batted .267/.352/.581 with 39 home runs and 97 RBI, helping lead the Dodgers to the National League's best record in the regular season.
DeJong, meanwhile, was a 38th-round draft pick of the Pirates in 2014, but failed to sign and was selected by the Cardinals in the fourth round in 2015. He batted .285/.352/.532 in 2017 with 25 home runs, 65 RBI and 26 doubles in 108 games.