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Bell’s bat booming in rookie year

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Josh Bell admitted that winning the 2017 National League Rookie of the Year Award was on his personal radar screen when spring training began last March.

It isn’t any longer.

Part of the reason is that the monster year put up by Cody Bellinger — whose 34 home runs and 79 RBIs have been a big factor in the Los Angeles Dodgers running away with the NL West Division — have put the Dodgers outfielder, who is currently on the disabled list, squarely in the driver’s seat for the award, which will be announced in November.

“It was something that I kind of worked toward in the offseason,” the 6-foot-2, 230-pound Bell said recently at PNC Park. “It was definitely a goal. But as you get into the season, you’re grinding it out, trying to win games, trying to get team at-bats.

“Right now, I’m not really focused on (the award),” said Bell, who celebrated his 25th birthday Aug. 14. “I know that Bellinger has had an incredible season. For me personally, I’m just hoping to finish strong and leave nothing in the tank.”

Bell, however, has still had a rookie year of his own to remember.

In a season in which the Pirates have strived unsuccessfully to achieve any type of sustained consistency, the switch-hitting Bell’s steady and powerful offensive production has been a silver lining.

Entering Saturday night’s game in Cincinnati, Bell was leading the Pirates in RBIs with 76, and his 22 home runs this season trail only superstar Andrew McCutchen’s 23 for the Pirates’ team lead. Bell’s 116 hits rank him second only to McCutchen’s 127.

Bell, who is batting .267 (116 hits in 435 at-bats), has become just the fifth player in Pirates team history to hit as many as 20 home runs in his rookie season. The others were Garrett Jones (21 in 2009), Jason Bay (26 in 2004), Hall-of-Famer Ralph Kiner (23 in 1946) and Johnny Rizzo (23 in 1938).

The 16 home runs that Bell hit in the first half of this season are the most ever hit by a Pirates rookie before the All-Star break. Kiner had 15 in 1946.

Bell — who made a cameo appearance for the Pirates in 2016, playing in 45 games and hitting three home runs — said that he has benefited from taking a matter-of-fact approach in his rookie year this season.

“I’m just trying to grow, trying to learn, every day,” said Bell, who shelved a college baseball scholarship from the University of Texas to accept a $5 million signing bonus with the Pirates after being chosen in the second round of the Major League Baseball draft back in 2011. “It’s the same game that I’ve been playing over the past few years — just a bit more refined.

“The defenses are a little better, the pitchers are a little bit more sharp,” Bell said. “Everything is a little bit more fine-tuned. I’m just trying to get used to that and hit it where (defenders) aren’t.”

Bell, who has shown very quick hands from both sides of the plate, has done an excellent job of that this season. Despite the fact that he hits for power, Bell doesn’t have any big loops in his swing, and he’s often able to barrel up pitches that might cause lesser hitters to pop up or strike out.

Even when he’s jammed, Bell often either fights off good pitches for opposite-field singles, or extends at-bats by hitting foul balls on pitches that many other players can’t spoil.

His swing has sometimes been compared to that which can often be seen on a cricket field, but he’s still able to get full extension and good wood on the ball in most of his plate appearances.

“I feel like it’s something I’ve had my entire life,” Bell said. “I try to let the (pitch) get in as deep as possible, and then put a nice swing on it. If I’m on time, that’s where I can really square up balls and drive them. But even if I’m a little bit late, it’s not necessarily a swing and a miss. It can be a foul ball, or I can make a tight, short swing and square something up to the opposite field.”

Bell, who has been in the clean-up spot in the Pirates’ batting order for much of this season, has done an excellent job of hitting balls over the fence.

That’s something that has surprised him as a rookie.

“Coming up through the minors, I never thought that I’d have a 20 home run season in my first year in ‘The Show,”’ Bell said. “I always thought that I’d be a guy trying to get my (batting) average back to where I’d want it to be. I’m definitely stoked. Hopefully, there’s more in the tank.”

Bell’s work ethic at the plate and in the field, where he has made considerable progress defensively at first base, has helped him to excel.

“He’s always working,” infielder/outfielder Josh Harrison said of Bell. “It’s showing up for us in big situations at the plate. He’s having good at-bats, and he’s banging the ball. He’s been swinging (the bat well).”

Early in the season, Bell played the first seven innings of many games at first base, then was lifted for a defensive replacement late in games. That isn’t the case any longer, and hasn’t been for awhile.

“He’s made great strides defensively,” Harrison said.

Bell has put in the necessary time to better himself with the glove as well as with the bat.

“I’ve definitely put in a lot of work for sure,” Bell said. “I just continue to work every day, and continue to try to get better for my team.”

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