PITTSBURGH — Josh Bell picked a good time to get his first major-league extra base hit as a right-handed hitter on Friday. His two-run home run scored Jose Osuna and gave the Pirates an early 4-0 lead in what would become a 6-3 victory.
It wasn’t a cheap hit, either. In fact, Bell hit the ball to a part of PNC Park very few players can reach, regardless of handedness. His 107-mph rocket used a 33-degree launch angle to go 410 feet into the bleachers beyond the North Side Notch.
It takes a ton of natural power to get a ball to go that far, and Bell clearly possesses the strength and the swing to get it done. But he hasn’t shown that power from the right side of the plate in his brief major-league career.
Bell’ has had just 40 plate appearances from the right-hand side in the majors, and after Friday’s 1 for 3 night, he’s now hitting .167/.225/.250. That doesn’t exactly line up with Bell’s left-handed profile of a power hitter.
Some switch-hitters are like that, with most or all of their power coming from one side of the plate and very little coming from the other. But Bell can clearly give it a ride as a righty and his Triple-A numbers from 2016 didn’t reflect such a drastic difference. He hit .267/.366/.427 against lefties with Indianapolis last year and .307/.390/.486 against right-handers.
So is the power coming, or is Bell going to be a singles hitter for the most part as a right-hander in the majors? Bell said it’s a work in progress, but he expects to show more power from that side of the plate.
“I think across the minor leagues, I mirrored [lefty numbers vs righty numbers],” he said. “Some months, I had power jumps, a lot doubles, a lot of homers, but when you focus on one side so much, you kind of get away from what makes you successful from the other side, so hopefully I can stay right there right and just be able to do damage when mistakes are made.”
Bell said that he’s been working on getting his foot down sooner as a left-handed hitter in order to drive the ball. Clint Hurdle talked yesterday about the dangers of “lifting” and trying too hard to hit the ball in the air, but with Bell it’s an effort to get his power to translate into more line drives and fly balls, something that is becoming a trend around major-league baseball.
“I was just trying to mirror what I was doing lefty, because I’ve been working on it so much,” Bell said. “I don’t want to do two drastically different things from both sides when I’m trying out something new lefty. So, I just got my foot down really early. I felt like I was hanging back there, but looking at video, it really didn’t seem like it was anything too drastic.”
The result wasn’t a fluke, either. Hurdle said that Bell’s drive is exactly the type of thing they’re looking for when working with Bell.
“It was 33 degrees [launch angle],” Hurdle said. “That would be classified as high, hard contact. It was a good swing for us.”
Bell was obviously pleased with the result and was also pleased that it came off a pitcher like C.C. Sabathia.
“It was definitely a cool experience,” he said. “You only feel the ball off the bat like that every once in a while. To feel it like that off that caliber of a pitcher, especially one that’s been on a run, is definitely cool. It was cool helping the team win.”
STARTING LINEUP
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TAILLON IMPRESSING
Jameson Taillon brings a minuscule .090 ERA into his fourth start of the season. It’s still very early in the season, but it’s clear that Taillon has staked his claim as one the Pirates’ top starting pitchers. It’s been an impressive start to the year for a player that will be making his 22nd major-league appearance.
“I think he’s continued to grow with experience and I think he’s continued to mature with experience,” Hurdle said. “He’s aware of all aspects of his game, which to me is very healthy. He talked about controlling the running game, his holds, the adrenaline and channeling that in the seventh inning. It was a real fun time of him to pitch.”
Taillon’s success and efficiency have turned him into one of the Pirates’ primary options when it comes to giving the bullpen a blow, something Taillon said after his last home start that he wants to do this season.
“He’s moving into that position where there’s days [Taillon is] going to be the best option in the seventh inning,” Hurdle said. “It’s not just always a bullpen guy that’s the best option in the seventh inning. … Deep is a complete game. Nova’s showed us that, which I think Jameson has also appreciated.”
BASTARDO BACK IN THE MIX?
Antonio Bastardo has had nine days off since giving up four runs in 0.2 IP against the Cincinnati Reds April 12. Hurdle cited the lack of low-leverage opportunities as the main factor for the extended absence. If that doesn’t happen eventually, Hurdle will try to find him n inning somewhere to get back on the bump.
“We’re going to look for an opportunity to get him in — one that makes sense for everybody,” Hurdle said. “There may come a time when there’s not a perfect opportunity but we’re looking for some separation one way or the other — for his sake more than anything else.”
