ST. LOUIS — Josh Bell’s defense at first base has caught the attention of his teammates.
“[Adam] Frazier’s played with him longer than anybody,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “And he’ll come in every once in a while and say, ‘He didn’t make those plays before.’ Now he’s making plays. Laying out for balls.”
Despite a great work ethic, first base did not come easily to Bell, a converted outfielder, in his first two full seasons in the majors. This year he has improved at fielding ground balls, picking throws in the dirt and moving laterally to stop would-be hits down the line, like he did Friday night on Matt Carpenter’s grounder in the third inning. Instead it going for an RBI double, Bell dived to snag it and tossed it to Trevor Williams for the inning’s final out.
“It’s gone from holding your breath to, he’s making the play,” Williams said. “It’s been fun to watch all the work he’s been putting in off the field that you guys don’t see. He loves hitting, there’s no doubt about that, and he practices a lot at that, but he really takes pride in his first base and it’s showing this year for sure, the way that he’s been able to pick balls and the way that he’s getting reads off the bat has been impressive.”
One area of improvement remains: Bell’s throwing. He has not adjusted as well to the shorter arm action playing the infield requires and his throws can lack accuracy.
“He wants to become an all-around player, and I think he can,” Williams said. “There’s no doubt about his athletic ability, there’s no doubt about that bat. I wouldn’t put him on the mound yet, but I think he’s going to be a great first baseman for the Pirates for years to come.”
Bill Brink: bbrink@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BrinkPG.
First Published: May 11, 2019, 5:28 p.m.
