Pirates prospect Bell makes a big splash at Futures All-Star Game
CINCINNATI — Years before he became one of the Pirates' top prospects, Josh Bell already knew how to put on a show at the plate.
“He's one of those guys who, when you're on the bench, you stand up to watch him hit,” said Travis Story, who played on all-star teams with Bell when they were teenagers in Irving, Texas. “You don't want to miss anything he does because he can do something amazing pretty much every game. He's a special hitter, one of the best I've ever played with.”
A second-round pick (61st overall) in 2011, Bell got a $5 million signing bonus to bypass college and sign with the Pirates. Story, drafted 16 picks earlier, is a shortstop in the Colorado Rockies farm system.
On Sunday, Bell and Story were teammates again on the United States squad in the All-Star Futures Game. As usual, Bell gave folks a reason to take notice.
Bell, 22, blasted a two-run homer — a 388-foot shot to right-center field — in the USA's 10-1 victory against the World team.
“An awesome experience,” said Bell, who also played in last year's Futures Game.
Last week, Bell was slotted at No. 45 on Baseball America's midseason list of the top 50 prospects. The magazine noted that Bell “has hit (for average) and he's shown he can hit for power, but so far he's struggled to do both at the same time.”
In 2013, Bell hit 13 home runs with Low-A West Virginia. Last year, he was promoted to High-A Bradenton and went deep nine times.
This season, Bell has four homers in 80 games at Double-A Altoona. Bell has a .312 average and an .811 OPS, and Altoona manager Tom Prince believes the power will eventually arrive.
“It's a matter of time,” said Prince, who was on the U.S. team's coaching staff. “He's young, and he's growing. He's figuring out swings.”
Although 11 runs were scored Sunday, Bell hit the only home run.
“I just got a good pitch to hit and put a good swing on it,” Bell said, grinning. “I just try to barrel up the baseball as best I can.”
Although Bell is much more productive batting from the left side, the Pirates don't want him to give up switch-hitting.
In the third inning, Bell seemed overmatched and struck out swinging against World team left-hander Jarlin Garcia, a High-A pitcher in the Miami Marlins organization.
In the fifth, Bell flipped to the his left side against Seattle Mariners Double-A righty Edwin Diaz. Bell lashed a 1-0 sinker into the right-field seats.
Although first base is usually a slugger's position, Bell said he doesn't feel pressure to be more of a power hitter at the expense of his batting average.
“As the years go on, hopefully I can hit for both,” Bell said. “Sometimes I get out of my zone to make contact because my hand-eye coordination is so good. If I come out of my zone and still barrel up the ball, but not as hard as I can, that's kind of a cop out. It's a hit, but I could have hit the ball a little bit harder. That's where I am right now. It's a learning process.”
Scouts expect Bell eventually will do well against big league pitching, but some say he'll likely be more of a doubles machine than a home run hitter.
“This guy should hit for a high batting average,” one scout said. “I just don't think he will hit for a whole lot of power. He has more of a line-drive stroke. The unfortunate thing is when he hurt his knee, he lost a significant step, which would have added to his potential for stealing bases.”
In April 2012, barely two weeks into his pro career, Bell had surgery to repair the meniscus in his left knee. He has swiped 16 bases in 27 tries over 322 games in the minors.
Although he was drafted as an outfielder, Bell was converted to first base because it should give him a clearer path toward the majors. It has been a slow transition, however — Bell has made 13 errors and has a .983 fielding percentage.
“There have been times when I've overstepped my boundaries and ended up in no-man's land (between first and second base),” Bell said. “It's part of the process. I definitely feel more comfortable now than I did in spring training or in the (Arizona) Fall League. I'm finally getting to that point where I know where I'm supposed to be in every situation.”
In the fourth inning, USA third baseman Richie Shaffer made an off-balance throw on the run. The ball one-hopped Bell, who stretched and made a nice scoop to get the out.
“He really picks the ball well,” Prince said. “It's not like this is a one-year process. If he gets reps, he'll continue to get better.”
Triple-A Indianapolis catcher Elias Diaz was the backup catcher for the World team. He went 0 for 2.
Rob Biertempfel is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at rbiertempfel@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BiertempfelTrib.
