BRADENTON, Fla. — After finishing his first full season in the major leagues, Josh Bell went home. He wanted to clear his mind after playing in 159 games for the Pirates and couldn't think of a better way than to hit in the batting cage in his garage in Dallas.
Although the speed of the pitches has changed, Bell has hit from the same pitching machine for the past 15 years. This time was different, though. Bell, who led the Pirates with 90 RBIs as a rookie in 2017, wanted to go back to the place, and the process, that helped him reach the major leagues.
He reached some goals and fell short of others over the previous seven months, and each of those failures fueled him to reach greater heights. However, becoming the face of the Pirates franchise at 25 years old is not among them.
"In my mind, when I think Pirates I think [Francisco Cervelli], [Josh Harrison], J-Hay especially; David Freese being a World Series MVP — those are the names that pop into my head," Bell told DKPittsburghSports.com before the Pirates' 8-5 loss to the Orioles on Monday at LECOM Park. "But I try not to focus on being a face or that player.
"Does that necessarily help me on the field? No. It’s another thing that if I let it seep in, it just might be in the back of my head and just white noise."
The first baseman was a finalist for National League Rookie of the Year after he batted .255/.334/.466 with 26 home runs, 26 doubles and a 108 OPS+ in 2017. He was outstanding for much of the second half of the season — batting .290 and .323 in July and August, respectively — but he hit just .221 over the final five weeks.
That drop in production, Bell says, was the result of him pressing at the plate. The Pirates struggled for the final five weeks of the season and Bell tried to overcompensate. As a result, his hard contact went down. He had 26 strikeouts to 11 walks in his final 96 at-bats.
So, he wanted to hit "reset" once the offseason arrived. He originally planned to drive the length of the Pacific Coast Highway, but instead, he chose to dedicate his offseason to baseball. Aside from a trip to Vancouver, Bell spent much of his time in Dallas.
He didn't make any drastic adjustments. Although he's constantly analyzing his own swing, Bell expressed confidence that he's "in a good place" at the plate. Rather than overanalyzing all offseason — like he did for the previous eight months – Bell chose to escape the pressure that consumed him. Hitting in the cage with his father, Earnest, proved to be a proper elixir.
"Hitting without the results is pretty great," he said. "Hitting repetitively kind of clears your mind. You can focus on different things. You can mess around if you want to. You don’t have the results. You don’t have the pressures of the game."
However, there's no escaping the pressure this spring. The Pirates traded Andrew McCutchen to the Giants in January, thrusting Bell into an even greater spotlight. He'll have to lead an offense that struggled with McCutchen last year.
Having Gregory Polanco and Starling Marte back should alleviate some of what ailed the Pirates last season, but there's no question Bell will be the leader, at least on the field. Although Clint Hurdle has repeatedly declined to discuss his batting order, it's become clear that Bell will be the Pirates' primary cleanup hitter in 2018.
Bell, whose 271 at-bats at cleanup led the team, had a .834 OPS with seven home runs and 21 RBI at that spot in the order last season. He batted .301 with runners in scoring position and .281 with runners on base.
"Stability in the middle of your lineup is what you look for," Hurdle said. "He’ll be hitting in a productive situation in the lineup. ... I thought he handled it very, very well for a first-year guy. When I told him this is what we’re going to do, how we’re going to do it and go for it he wasn’t overwhelmed by any means."
Bell said he'd be open to moving around. However, he called it "cool" to finally solidify a spot in the order. If that remains the case, he'll likely be hitting behind players such as Josh Harrison, Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco or Corey Dickerson.
And it's a role he embraces.
"For me overall, being a first baseman, I’m trying to be an RBI guy," Bell said. "I’m trying to score runners from first, second and third, and drawing walks when I can. If I can do that, if I can be a damage bat, hitting balls into the gaps repeatedly or low and hard towards the outfield, then I’ll be in a good place."
Bell wasn't in a good place last spring, though. He underwent minor knee surgery last February, which prevented him from swinging a bat until March, and he batted.116 in 15 Grapefruit League games. Bell also had a slow start to the season, batting .222 through the first two months.
Although he's batting .192 in 10 games this spring, Bell has an RBI in three consecutive games. His outs have mostly been well-hit. He's struck out only twice in 26 at-bats.
Bell is aware of the expectations resting on his shoulders entering the season. He's already heard people outside the organization label him as the new "face of the franchise."
If he earns that title, great. But Bell would rather focus on the process and results, much like he did this offseason in the garage with his father.
"I feel like that’s important to go back to your roots," Bell said. "Stay humble. Don’t let the game overtake the type of person that you are."