BRADENTON, Fla. — Josh Bell is obsessive about his craft. He's often in the cage at LECOM Park before sunrise and chose to spend part of his offseason hitting in a batting cage in his garage. That relentless work ethic has led to an uncanny self-awareness at the plate. As soon as a ground ball leaves his bat, the Pirates' first baseman knows precisely what he did wrong.
Yet, Bell said he took fewer swings this offseason than at any point of his career, choosing quality over quantity. The decision is part of his plan to be a smarter, more well-rounded hitter, and he placed a particular emphasis on one facet of his game: switch-hitting.
He wants to do more damage from the right side of the plate. And if he can, he could become one of the more dangerous hitters in the game.
"I feel like in certain situations when I’m going really good lefty I have to be that much better right-handed because the game is on the line, and I want Clint [Hurdle] to trust me," Bell told DKPittsburghSports.com following the Pirates' 7-5 win over the Rays on Saturday. "I want the team to trust I can turn around and do it the other way. That’s what I work for every day."
It sounds like nitpicking coming from the man who broke the National League record for most home runs by a switch-hitting rookie, but it speaks to his determination to exceed, not match, his production from his first full major league season. After all, Bell batted .242/.305/.453 with eight home runs and 21 RBIs from the right side of the plate in 2017.
He entered the offseason equipped with a plan to improve. Much like his time in the minor leagues, Bell went through long stretches last season where he didn't face a left-handed starting pitcher. He was able to overcome any rust against minor-league pitching, but facing someone such as the Cubs' Jon Lester after extended time against righties proved to be challenging.
So, Bell will now split his time on both sides of the plate during batting practice. He had focused more on the left side because of the opposing pitcher that day, but he now wants to ensure that he gets the same amount of reps from both sides, adding that "I feel like in the past I didn't do a good enough job."
Those challenges have continued this spring. Bell has often been out of the lineup against left-handed starting pitchers. As a result, he's 3 for 17 against lefties this spring. But more at-bats from the right side in recent days has led to better production.
Bell's last two home runs came from the right side of the plate, and he doubled off the Rays' Blake Snell to lead off the second inning.
"Going into the offseason, I definitely wanted to make sure I could clean up things right-handed," Bell said. "From here on out, I think if I can be a more equal player from both sides, it will be that much better for the team."
In more ways than one. The Pirates are expected to have three left-handed regulars in their lineup: Gregory Polanco, Corey Dickerson and Colin Moran. Hurdle will likely need to be creative to separate those three to prevent opponents from taking advantage with a left-handed reliever.
But having a power-hitting threat from the right side like Bell will make that challenge less daunting. Bell was productive from the right side throughout the minor leagues with a .793 OPS at Triple-A in 2016, a .695 OPS at Double-A in 2015 and a .795 OPS at High-A in 2011. That consistency, as well as Bell's production in the major leagues, has his manager optimistic that improvement is coming.
"I’ve always thought he was a pretty good switch-hitter from both sides based on what I’ve seen, what I’ve heard," Hurdle said. "I think we’re just seeing that play out now, and I think it’s helped he’s been able to see more left-handers. I think that’s one of the biggest challenges we’ve had. There just haven't been that many at times. Maybe when we see them, he’s trying to get more done than he should to catch up. However, he’s settled in, he’s swinging the bat well from both sides of the plate."
Although the Pirates' success in 2018 will be decided by both health and surpassing projections, a big season from Bell in the cleanup spot could be important above all else from an offensive standpoint. He batted .255/.334/.466 with 26 home runs — only the second switch-hitter in team history to smack at least 25 in one season — with a team-high 90 RBIs to finish third in NL Rookie of the Year voting last season.
His numbers this spring aren't indicative of how well he's played, either. Bell is consistently making hard contact from both sides of the plate and is now batting .283, despite starting Grapefruit League play 3 for 18. Unlike last spring, he's healthy, and is determined to trump his memorable first season in the major leagues, especially from the right side of the plate.
"I feel like there was just a learning curve and hopefully I’m coming out of it," Bell said.
• The respect for Ivan Nova runs deep on this team. Players are thrilled that Nova will make the club's opening day start Thursday in Detroit. Trevor Williams went out of his way mid-interview Saturday to describe how he's honored to even pitch behind Nova in the rotation.
• The news of outfielder Bryce Brentz being placed on outright waivers wasn't much of a surprise. He was out of minor-league options, which would handcuff the Pirates. It appears they will likely begin the season with eight relief pitchers with Jose Osuna being recalled soon after the start of the season. They wouldn't have that option with Brentz.
• Osuna deserves the roster spot. He still doesn't get on base often enough and is limited defensively at both third base and right field, but he provides far more upside off the bench than other internal options. He can hit, so it's time to let him show that in the major leagues. The challenge will be finding him enough at-bats.
• Hurdle has offered subtle hints about his lineup, although he's remained mum outside of Bell at cleanup and Jordy Mercer in the eight-hole. Here's how I would construct the lineup against a right-handed pitcher for National League play:
1. Josh Harrison, 2B
2. Gregory Polanco, RF
3. Starling Marte, CF
4. Josh Bell, 1B
5. Corey Dickerson, LF
6. Francisco Cervelli, C
7. Colin Moran, 3B
8. Jordy Mercer, SS
9. Pitcher
Polanco and Marte can be flipped depending on the matchup, and Cervelli will likely need to bat higher in the order to split up the left-handed hitters. Hurdle will choose to stack those lefties against a team with a right-handed starter and unproven left-handed options in the bullpen.
• Notice something is missing there? Yeah, Adam Frazier needs to play. There's no simple solution, either. Moran is hitting well and has played surprisingly well defensively. Frazier is an average defender, but he can improve with more reps at one particular position.
• Tyler Glasnow showed signs of progress on Saturday and described how a tweaked delivery is giving him better control of his four-seam fastball. The result was some natural cutting action to the pitch, which was difficult for the Rays to hit:
Tyler Glasnow, 98mph Fastball/Cutting Action. pic.twitter.com/Vn7xph5nuD
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 24, 2018
I'm still skeptical, though. Sorry, Glasnow has yet to show he can throw strikes with any sort of consistency. He'll have a chance to prove me wrong, but putting him in the bullpen is still a gamble a club like this can't afford to take.
• It appears the Pirates' bullpen will include Glasnow, Steven Brault, Felipe Rivero, George Kontos, Michael Feliz, Kevin Siegrist and Kyle Crick. If they choose to keep eight relievers, the other spot will likely go to either Dovydas Neverauskas or Josh Smoker.
