Pittsburgh Pirates: Is Josh Bell Bucs’ most underrated player?
By Derek Snyder
Is Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman, Josh Bell, the most underrated player on the team’s roster? One MLB ESPN writer definitely thinks so.
If the Pittsburgh Pirates are going to have a breakout season in 2018, it’s going to be because Josh Bell explodes in his second full MLB season. The Bucs first baseman proved in his rookie season that he can hit the cover off the baseball and be a key contributor in this Pirates lineup for many years to come.
However, when talking about the team’s most-underrated players, does Bell immediately come to your mind?
Nevertheless, ESPN’s David Schoenfield was tasked with determining the most-underrated players from each MLB team. Needless to say, his choice for the Pirates was the 25-year-old Bell.
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Take a look at what Schoenfield had to say about Bell below in his article from ESPN:
"“It seems like we waited forever for Bell to arrive, and when he finally played his first full season, we kind of ignored it. There were some positive signs, with 26 home runs and solid control of the strike zone without an excessive strikeout rate. To get to the next level, Bell will need to hit fewer ground balls (51 percent ground ball rate) and take advantage of his natural power.”"
I don’t know about you, but I do think there is a healthy respect for Bell’s game around Major League Baseball. He may not be an All-Star caliber player just yet, but teams know they must be careful with him at the plate. If you make a mistake on a pitch-location during a big moment in the game, Bell will make you pay.
Seriously though, can someone who nearly led the Pirates in almost every major hitting category in 2017 still be underrated? Honestly, it all just depends on your perspective.
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What say you, Pirates fans? If you had to choose one player who doesn’t get talked about enough, who would you choose?