Josh Bell

Position: 1B
Born: 8/14/1992
Height: 6'2
Weight: 245
B/T: S/R
Acquired: Drafted in the second round of the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft (PIT).

Most Recent Stats at Time of Debut
CURRENT SEASON STATS: .324 with 13 homers and 53 RBIs at Indianapolis (Triple-A) along with 19 doubles and a .535 SLG.

Info & MLB Debut Date
Recalled from Indianapolis on July 8 when RHP Tyler Glasnow was sent down.
MLB Debut Date: 7/8/2016

Debut Details
July 8, in an 8-4 win against the Chicago Cubs. Pinch-hitting for pitcher Neftali Feliz, he went 1-for-1 with a run scored. He came to bat in the seventh inning with Adam Frazier on base and no outs and singled to right field on the first pitch he saw from Cubs ace Jake Arrieta. After moving to second on a single by John Jaso, he scored when Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo made a throwing error on a ball hit by Gregory Polanco. As a side note, the next night, Bell pinch-hit once again against the Cubs in a 12-6 win, this time coming up in the fifth against reliever Adam Warren with one out and the bases loaded and unloaded them in a hurry with a grand slam to right field. Give this guy a start!

Player Notes
It’s been a fun week for Pirates fans who got to see the big-league debuts of three top prospects in the space of four nights, bringing the total of Pirates’ debuts this season to nine. One of the most highly-anticipated hitters in the organization, Bell had posted a combined .309 average in his pro career coming into his debut, hitting a combined .317 with seven homers, 78 RBIs, 24 doubles and nine steals in 131 games in 2015 between Indianapolis and Altoona (Double-A) and .325 with nine homers, 60 RBIs and nine steals in 108 games between Altoona and Bradenton (High A) in 2014. The converted outfielder, who made the move to first base, gave up a scholarship to Texas to sign with the Pirates for a $5 million bonus – a record for a non-first-round draftee.

2080 Notes
Bell checked in at No. 74 on 2080’s Preseason Top 125 Prospect Ranking List where we had this to say about him: “There’s always a premium put on hitting, and hitting for power at first base. While Bell’s power has yet to show up in HR totals, he has shown that he has some pure bat-to-ball skills and a plus hit tool ceiling. Hitting at the high minors is difficult, but Bell has proved he can, putting his MLB ETA right around the corner.”