Major League Baseball has been infused with youth and exciting ballplayers over the last two years, and the Pittsburgh Pirates have gotten into the act.
Mostly every team in the playoff race – including the Pittsburgh Pirates – has a key young player contributing to their success.
The Chicago Cubs have of course built the core of their team through young position players like Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and Addison Russell. The Cubs may have laid out the blueprint for the future of how to build a winning team.
Even The Yankees are Doing It
For the past decade and a half, the New York Yankees have built a reputation of selling their youth and signing and trading for veterans with big contracts. When the Yankees decided to trade away Carlos Beltran, Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman and brought up players such as Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge, it marked an end of an era and the beginning of a new one.
We have seen an infusion of young position players not only be called up to the majors in the past two seasons, but come up and become key contributors. Here is a list of exciting players that have come up that have either played well or have shown the potential to: Kris Bryant, Aledmys Diaz, Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, Nomar Mazara, Carlos Correa, George Springer, Trevor Story, Corey Saeger, Cheslor Cuthbert, Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge, Dansby Swanson and Alex Bregman.
The Pittsburgh Pirates Are Now Trendy
This past weekend, the Pittsburgh Pirates joined the youth movement by calling up 24 year-old first baseman Josh Bell. Bell is currently the #25 ranked prospect in all of baseball, #1 first baseman prospect, and the #3 Pirates prospect behind RHP Tyler Glasnow and OF Austin Meadows. Bell asked teams not to draft him in 2011 as he was set on getting his education at the University of Texas. But his mind was seemingly changed by the Pirates, as they selected him with the first pick in the second round with a $5 million signing bonus, the highest ever outside the first round.
Bell is a switch hitter that hits for high average, high contact, and a good eye. In five seasons in the minor leagues, Bell has recorded a .303 average, 44 home runs, 285 RBIS, a .373 OBP, and .827 OPS. Bell had a fantastic year in AAA this season, posting a .295 average with 14 home runs, 60 RBIs, an impressive .382 OBP and .850 OPS.
An Impact Already Felt
Bell has already made an impact with the Pirates so far, sporting a .500 average with 1 home run, 5 RBIs, and a 1.556 OPS in six games. Bell’s glove may keep him out of being a consistent starter for now, but Bell will be a fixture in the Pirates lineup for the foreseeable future.
It is great to see the PIttsburgh Pirates bringing up their young players during a playoff race. Not only are they gaining experience, but they are also gaining experience in a winning environment. There’s no science behind this, but most people would agree they would rather a young player come up to a winning team with a professional locker room that has set goals.
The Pirates may not be playing like the Cubs, but who knows, maybe soon Bell could be a MVP contender the way Rizzo and Bryant are for the Cubs. By bringing him up, the Pirates are giving him that chance. Regardless , Bell now joins the impressive list of position players that have infused Major League Baseball with youth.
Featured Photo Credit – Bryan Green – Flickr Creative Commons
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