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Pittsburgh Pirates 2016 Top Prospects: #3 – Josh Bell

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The Pirates Prospects 2016 Prospect Guide is now on sale. The book features prospect reports on everyone in the system, the 2016 top 50 prospects, and the most comprehensive coverage of the Pirates’ farm system that you can find. Subscribers to the site get free and discounted books, with Top Prospect subscribers getting the 2016 book for free, and Annual subscribers getting $10 off. Both levels of subscribers can also get the book for just $5. Details on all three promotions can be found on the products page, and you can subscribe to the site or upgrade your current plan on the subscriptions page.

While the top 50 prospects are exclusive to the book, we will be releasing the top 20 prospects over the next few weeks. The reports will only be available to site subscribers, including those with a monthly plan. You can subscribe here, and if you like these reports, be sure to purchase your copy of the book on the products page of the site to get much more analysis on every player in the system.

To recap the countdown so far:

20. Willy Garcia, RF
19. Clay Holmes, RHP
18. Mitch Keller, RHP
17. Max Moroff, 2B
16. Chad Kuhl, RHP
15. Cole Tucker, SS
14. Stephen Tarpley, LHP
13. Steven Brault, LHP
12. Yeudy Garcia, RHP
11. Kevin Newman, SS
10. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B
9. Nick Kingham, RHP
8. Elias Diaz, C
7. Reese McGuire, C
6. Harold Ramirez, OF
5. Alen Hanson, 2B
4. Jameson Taillon, RHP

We continue the countdown with the number 3 prospect, Josh Bell.

3. Josh Bell, 1B

The Pirates have no immediate need for outfielders in the majors, and have plenty of outfield prospects in the system who can take over as replacements in the long-term. That’s why the Pirates moved Bell to first base during the 2015 season, with the goal of getting his bat to the majors faster.

Bell has a ton of upside on offense. He’s got a quick, easy swing from the left side, with a lot of raw power potential. His swing from the right side is a concern, but there’s potential to hit for average, get on base and scouts think he could avoid a platoon situation. The bat has yet to break out in a big way. Part of that changed in 2015 when the Pirates started incorporating a leg kick into Bell’s swing. After struggling to get comfortable with the change, he made a slight adjustment in Indianapolis, and started seeing results, putting up some impressive power numbers at the end of the year.

The problem from the right side still exists, and wasn’t solved with the new leg kick. Bell has an open stance from the right side, allowing him to see the ball earlier. The Pirates allow the stance, but want him getting into a load position earlier. This creates a two-part swing that can often be disconnected and awkward. Bell also has some of the best hand to eye coordination in the system, which actually hurt him here, as he sometimes doesn’t even incorporate his lower half, leading to weaker contact.

The move to first base wasn’t pretty, which could be expected for a career outfielder. He looked like a beer league first baseman at the start of the year, with poor positioning and footwork. The defense improved as the year went on, but was still well below average. The footwork problems remained, and he some trouble setting up and doing basic things like catching throws. Bell has a ton of upside, with the ability to be an impact hitter in the majors. His defense needs improvement, and might always be poor, but the bat will make up for it. He’ll need to continue the improvements he had at the end of the 2015 season, and improve from the right side. He could make the jump to Pittsburgh as early as mid-2016, taking over as the long-term solution at first base.

Click Here to Purchase the Pirates Prospects 2016 Prospect Guide

Tim Williams
Tim Williams
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.

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