Josh Bell was the Pirates 2nd round pick of the 2011 draft out of Dallas Jesuit College Prep.
While moving up through the Pirates organization he was considered one of the better prospects in baseball.
- Between 2011 and 2016 he was ranked one of the Pirates Top 10 prospects six times.
- He was rated one of baseballs top 100 prospects four times during that period, topping out at #35 in 2016.
Bell made the majors in 2016 and has been every bit as good as expected. In 2019 he hit .277/.367/.569 with a career-high 37 HR. Good for an OPS+ of 143.
- He was selected to his first All-Star team in 2019.
The Pirates are not a great team, and Bell seems like a candidate for a trade. He will be 27 in 2020, so he is poised to have another fantastic season so his value will probably never be higher.
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | G | AB | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 23 | PIT | NL | 45 | 128 | 3 | 19 | 21 | 19 | .273 | .368 | .406 | .775 | 108 | |
| 2017 | 24 | PIT | NL | 159 | 549 | 26 | 90 | 66 | 117 | .255 | .334 | .466 | .800 | 109 | RoY-3 |
| 2018 | 25 | PIT | NL | 148 | 501 | 12 | 62 | 77 | 104 | .261 | .357 | .411 | .768 | 111 | |
| 2019 | 26 | PIT | NL | 143 | 527 | 37 | 116 | 74 | 118 | .277 | .367 | .569 | .936 | 143 | AS |
| 4 Yr | 4 Yr | 4 Yr | 4 Yr | 495 | 1705 | 78 | 287 | 238 | 358 | .265 | .354 | .477 | .831 | 121 | |
| 162 | 162 | 162 | 162 | 162 | 558 | 26 | 94 | 78 | 117 | .265 | .354 | .477 | .831 | 121 |