In a season that can be categorized as disappointment, one rookie has put together a fantastic season. Compared to some of the past Pittsburgh Pirates rookie performances, where does Josh Bell’s 2017 rank?
If it was not for Cody Bellinger and the fact that he seemingly hits a home run in every game he plays in, Pittsburgh Pirates 1B Josh Bell would be leading the discussion for the National League’s Rookie of the Year award.
But baseball is a cruel game, and Bell unfortunately has timed his rookie season with the powerful lefty out in Hollywood.
Still though, Bell has put together an incredible rookie campaign. So where does Bell’s season rank among other rookie seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates? It is certainly a notable rookie year and should definitely see Bell finish in the top three in voting for the award.
So far Bell has played in 126 games and is slashing .260/.340/.486 with 21 home runs, 73 RBI and 64 runs scored. Not only is he having an impressive season, but he has locked down the first base position for the foreseeable future. He is getting better defensively at first base and his ability to hit for power from both sides of the plate is a facet of his game that separates him from many others across the league. So far this season Bell has been a 1.7 WAR player for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
For this exercise, let’s only compare Bell’s season to that of other position players (apologies to Rich Loiselle, Kris Benson and Steve Cooke). The first Rookie of the Year Award was given out in 1947 and in that year and the following year, it was awarded to just the best rookie in either the American or National League. Since 1949 each league has issued it’s own award.
So how does Bell’s rookie season rank within the history of the franchise? Below are ten of the best rookie performances from some of the greatest players that have ever worn a Pirates uniform. Let’s start with some of the more recent standout rookie seasons and move through the history of the team.
Jung Ho Kang, 2015
Jung Ho Kang’s “rookie” season with the Pirates, in which he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting, had fans hopeful for what he could bring to the team over the next few years but at this point his status moving forward is still unclear. He hit 15 home runs and drove in 58 of his teammates to go along with a .287/.355/.461 slash line and 4.0 WAR but saw his season cut short by a takeout slide at second by Chris Coghlan. Combined with his sophomore season, Kang looked like a tremendous value. But unless things change dramatically, fans will be left wondering “what if”.
Andrew McCutchen, 2009
Andrew McCutchen, has been the face of the franchise since he made his debut in 2009 and finished fourth in voting for Rookie of the Year. McCutchen played in 108 games that season and slashed .286/.365/.471 that year. He hit 12 home runs, including three hit in one game. He collected 54 RBI and scored 74 runs to help him become a 2.3 WAR player in his first season. Given how quickly McCutchen became one of the best players in the league, it’s a little surprising that he did not win the award. Instead it was awarded to Chris Coghlan, whose exploits were detailed above.
Garrett Jones, 2009
The Pirates actually had two players place in the top ten in Rookie of the Year voting in 2009, the second being Garrett Jones who placed seventh in the National League. In some sense, Jones may have had a more impressive rookie season than McCutchen. He played in only 82 games yet still blasted 21 home runs and drove in 44 of his teammates. He was also worth 3.3 WAR that year, an indication that even those that stat is more all encompassing than others, voters do not necessary use it when casting their votes.
Jason Bay, 2004
Jason Bay has the honor of being the Pirates first and only Rookie of the Year award recipient, and deservedly so. He slashed .282/.358/.550 in his rookie campaign and also slugged 26 home runs, collected 82 RBI and scored 61 runs over 120 games. He accumulated 2.2 WAR that season, giving fans of the Pirates a reason to watch the team while they were in the middle of their two decade long losing streak. Bay’s time with Pittsburgh ended in the summer of 2008 when he was traded to Boston, but he’ll always be remembered as the team’s first (and to this point, only) Rookie of the Year winner.
Orlando Merced, 1991
Orlando Merced came in second in voting for the 1991 NL ROY, losing to newly minted Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell. Merced played in 120 games that year and knocked ten home runs, scored 83 times and added 50 RBI to his rookie resume. He slashed .275/.373/.399 and had a WAR of 2.6 that year and would go on to be a mainstay in the Pittsburgh lineup through the mid 1990s. He would not eclipse his rookie year total of ten home runs until he hit 15 in 1995 and 17 in 1996.
Barry Bonds, 1986
Isn’t hard to believe that the all time home run champion placed sixth in Rookie of the Year voting in 1986? Barry Bonds played in 113 games that year hit 16 home runs, a number that pales in comparison to what he would do in the pinnacle of his career. He was a 3.5 WAR player that season, getting on base at a .330 clip and slugging .416. Unlike some of the other rookies profiled in this piece, Bonds showed his base stealing prowess by nabbing 36 bases his rookie season.
Johnny Ray, 1982
Johnny Ray made his debut in 1981 but because he did not accumulate enough playing time, he was still considered a rookie in 1982 when he earned a second place finish in the voting for Rookie of the Year. Ray had an incredible total of 647 at-bats that year and slashed .281/.318/382 with seven home runs and 62 RBI. He also played in all 162 games that season which is an impressive feat for any player, but especially a rookie. All of the playing time and at-bats helped him be worth 3.8 WAR in 1982. He would go on to man second base for the Pirates until the middle of the 1987 season when he was traded to the California Angels.
Now let’s jump into our time machine and check out some rookie seasons before there was an award honoring the top rookie of the year.
Ralph Kiner, 1946
Ralph Kiner wasted no time showing the National League that he would become one of the most prolific power hitters of the late 1940s and early 1950s. In his rookie season of 1946, he hit 23 home runs and would more than double that total the following year. He slashed .247/.345/.430 that year and drove in 81 runs, all helping him reach a WAR of 2.8 in his debut season. Unfortunately for Kiner he played on some of the worst teams the Pittsburgh Pirates ever assembled and would end up being out of baseball five years before the team’s dramatic 1960 World Series victory. But no matter what he kicked his Hall of Fame career off with a very successful rookie campaign in 1946, the year before the first award was issued.
Arky Vaughan, 1932
Arky Vaughan played for the Pirates during the 1930s and had a great debut with the team. His WAR in his rookie year was 3.9 and he slashed .318/.375/.412. He may have only hit four home runs that year (his career high of 19 would come in 1935) but like many players of his team, he had a sharp eye at the plate. He took 39 free bases compared to just 26 strikeouts, a trend that Vaughan continue and improve on through the years (1936 saw him take 118 walks to 21 strikeouts).
Paul Waner, 1926
Hall of Famer Paul Waner started his career with the Pirates with a bang. He slashed .336/.413/.528. His eight home runs may look paltry compared to today’s standards, but it was a different game back then. An example of that is in that he walked 66 times and struck out only 19 times. His rookie season WAR of 5.3 was a great indicator of the success Big Poison would find during his 20 year career that saw him collect 3,151 hits in that span.
With about five weeks left in the season, Bell certainly has time to build on an already impressive rookie campaign. He has an outside shot of reaching 30 home runs, but more importantly it the Pirates are no longer searching for their power hitting first baseman. They found him in Bell, who could maybe even work his way into MVP discussions down the road if he keeps progressing at this rate.
Image credit – Flickr Creative Commons
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