A Move Down in the Lineup Benefitting Josh Bell

The 2020 season has not been the smoothest of sailing for Pirates First Baseman Josh Bell. However, a move down in the batting order has helped the slugger regain his identity over the last week's worth of games.

The Pittsburgh Pirates offense has been one of the worst offenses in all of Major League Baseball this season. Out of the 30 MLB clubs, the Pirates enter play on Saturday having scored the fewest amount of runs in Major League Baseball this season (163). They added three more runs to their total last night, but it wasn't enough as they ended up falling to the Kansas City Royals 4-3. One of the big reasons that the offense has been so bad is the underperformance of Josh Bell throughout the season. After hitting 37 home runs last season and being one of the top power hitters in the National League, Bell has struggled mightily in 2020, spending most of the season with an average under the .200 mark.

Because of this, Manager Derek Shelton has moved Bell out of the clean-up spot, and dropped him to number six in the batting order. The move has ended up working for the slugger, as we have seen a glimpse of the Josh Bell we know and love over the last week. He has his average up to .224 and added his fifth home run of the season, a two-run shot, in last night's loss to the Royals. It may be a sign that Bell is turning a corner, and gives him the opportunity to finish the season on a high note and take that momentum into the off-season. Today, we look at Bell's stats since the drop in the batting order to see if the old Bell is coming back.

Bell Riding High Over Last Seven Games

Seven games ago was the first time that Shelton batted Bell sixth in the batting order in a game against the Cincinnati Reds. Since then, Bell has been on fire hitting .318 with one home run and two RBI with four walks and five strikeouts. He had two extra-base hits during that span, including his two-run home run in yesterday's game. The stretch has raised his batting average from .197 to .224 over his last seven games. He has been seeing the ball well and showing more discipline at the plate, which has led to better pitches to hit over the last seven games. He is currently on a four-game hitting streak with two of those games being multi-hit efforts.

His best game during the stretch came last night when he went 3-4 with a home run and two RBI. He was responsible for two of the teams three runs with his two-run home run and looked more dialed in at the plate then he has been all season. The key to his success was the fact that he saw a lot of pitches at the plate. He saw an average of 5.25 pitches per at-bat and saw four or more pitches in three of the four at-bats. The only at-bat where he saw less than four pitches was his home run in the eighth inning of last night's game. Seeing that home run in the eighth inning was a positive sign for the slugger moving forward.

Bell took a pitchers pitch and sent it halfway up the right-field seats for a two-run shot. The first two pitches in the at-bat were both on the outside corner as they tried to get Bell reaching over the plate. Then, Royals reliever Scott Barlow tried to go up and in with a fastball and Bell got the head of the bat to the ball and hit it out of the park. It cut the Royals lead to 4-3 and gave the Pirates a fighting chance with one out in the bottom of the eighth. He has been seeing better pitches to hit recently and he is taking advantage of the opportunity. If he continues to produce in the sixth spot of the batting order, he could have an opportunity to move back up to the fourth spot by the end of the season.

Is Bell A Bonafide Clean-up Hitter

The question that remains in the back of Pirates fan's heads is whether or not Bell is a true clean-up hitter. When he has been in the four spot in the batting order, Bell is hitting .220 with two home runs and four RBI. Being the Pirate's only true power threat on the team, Bell is the guy that opposing pitchers try and pitch around. However, Bell is a guy who likes to swing the bat, so seeing pitchers pitches is hurting Bell overall. He was in the clean-up spot for 140 games last season and hit .276 with 36 home runs and 115 RBI. He was seeing better pitches last season because of his 2018 struggles and, now that pitchers have adjusted to him, it's time for Bell to make his own adjustments at the plate.

Bell is the closest thing the Pirates have to a bonafide power hitter and he will eventually find his way back to the clean-up spot. Colin Moran has been holding down the four-spot for now, but Bell will eventually head back to the clean-up spot before the season is over. Only time will tell if he is the power hitter of the future for the Pirates, but for now, Bell is the guy who should be leading the Pirates offense this season, and hopefully for the foreseeable future as either a first baseman or a designated hitter for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pittsburgh Pirates (14-28) will play the second game of their three-game series against the Kansas City Royals (18-28) tonight at 7:05 pm. Trevor Williams (1-6, 5.80) looks to limit the home runs when he takes the mound for the Pirates against Carlos Hernandez (0-0, 1.42) for the Royals. You can watch the game live on AT&T Sportsnet or listen on 93.7 The Fan as the Pirates look to even the series tonight.

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