Projecting the Pittsburgh Pirates Opening Day Lineup

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PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 05: Josh Bell #55 of the Pittsburgh Pirates reacts as he rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the ninth inning during the game against the Miami Marlins at PNC Park on September 5, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

Designated Hitter

For the 2020 season, all MLB teams will have a designated hitter. And nobody on the Pirates’ roster is more perfect for that than Josh Bell.

The switch hitting slugger had an outstanding breakout year in 2019. Through 613 plate appearances, Bell blasted 37 home runs to go with 37 doubles. He also hit .277/.367/.569 with a 135 wRC+. His wRC+ ranked 4th among all first basemen, and his wOBA of .378 ranked 5th.

Bell seemed to be suffering from a bit of fatigue in the second half of 2019. Although he still hit for a strong .258/.377/.516 line and hit 10 home runs in his final 154 plate appearances of the season, it was nothing like his first half numbers of .301/.376/.625 with 22 home runs from the beginning of the year to the end of June. Playing less of the field will give Bell the rest he needs to stay energized and healthy through a whole season. A shortened season may also help him in the future as well.

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But defensively, Bell was about as bad at first base as Moran was at third base. Bell clocked in with -8 DRS, -1.3 range runs above average, and -7.5 UZR. Bell tied with White Sox Jose Abreu for last place in DRS, and was nearly twice as bad compared to the next to last player in UZR, Braves Freddie Freeman, -4.5 (Freeman) to -7.5 (Bell).

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