The Pittsburgh Pirates are a team that must live and die by its prospects. In a new series, PBD will project each of the team’s Top 20 prospects in 2017.
Welcome to a new recurring series here at Pirates Breakdown in which we count down and project the 2017 seasons for each of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Top 20 prospects, ranked as per MLB Pipeline.
Today we take a look at the team’s #3 prospect, Josh Bell. Today’s entry will be a little different. As you all know, Bell shined during his time with the big league club last year, but ultimately fell just a few plate appearances short of reaching rookie designation. Thus, many of the common prospect sites still see him as a prospect.
We’ll keep that in mind with our projections, but for now here’s a recap on how Bell got here, and what to expect form him in 2017.
Prospect Primer
Josh Bell was selected in the second round of the 2011 MLB draft from Dallas Jesuit College Prep. The Pittsburgh Pirates have been excited about Bell from the beginning.
He has a prototypical power hitter’s frame and is a strong young man. Pirate’s fans have been clamoring for an everyday first baseman for years. After being moved to first full time late in 2014, Josh Bell fully intends on fulfilling that want in the fan base. We will take a look at why Pirates fans and the front office are excited about him.
Strengths
One of Bell’s strengths is his frame. He is a large man, standing 6’2” 240 pounds. He has a great frame to build muscle and strength as he matures. Bell had somewhat of a breakout year last year in combined time between Indianapolis and Pittsburgh where he had 17 combined homeruns. His previous high in a season was set in 2013 with the West Virginia Power, where he had 13.
Bell also did a nice job of getting runners in, as he had 79 RBI’s between Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. Bell’s development into a reliable power hitter at first base is crucial for the Pirates success in the years to come. As it becomes more and more obvious that Bell will be the starting first baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates, he will need to continue building that role.
Power isn’t everything, of course, and Bell’s otherworldly patience he displayed during his first go-round in the majors was impressive. Bell drew more walks (21) than strikeouts (19) over his first 152 plate appearances. While that is not a surefire indicator that his patience will continue, the Pittsburgh Pirates and their fans have to love the foundation that this lays for Bell as he continues to learn how to hit in the majors.
Areas For Improvement
Obviously, Bell’s defense at first is severely lacking. Though Bell is not a liability in the field, but he does not have a slick fielding glove.
He committed 14 errors at first base while playing with Indianapolis in 2016. Bell will need to maximize his time at Spring Training – already delayed slightly by a minor knee operation – to continue to learn the position. The Pittsburgh Pirates will certainly live with his defensive play while he learns the position, as his bat may prove to be too valuable.
Where He Starts 2017
It is almost certain that Bell will start the 2017 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Early reports indicate that Bell is recovering nicely from his knee surgery and should only miss a few weeks of Spring Training. If that is indeed the case, Bell will get plenty of chances to prove his worth in Pittsburgh this season.
Where He Ends 2017
Bell has all of the intangibles you are looking for in a first baseman. He is young and controllable, which is great for Pirates GM Neal Huntington. Bell has shown that he has some pop in his bat. It would be hard to forget that beautiful grand slam he had against the Chicago Cubs in a pivotal series last season.
Bell will have to work on his fielding, but his bat will buy time for him to develop at first. The main thing at this point is having a solid everyday first baseman, probably the first in Pittsburgh since Garrett Jones, and that is even a stretch.
Bell has the perfect landscape out in front of him, an organization that wants him to succeed along with a fan base that is starving for solid play at first. The rest will be up to him.
Featured Image Credit – Flickr Creative Commons
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