4 years agoPittsburgh Pirates first baseman/designated hitter Josh Bell is continuing to hit rockets when he puts the ball in play in 2020. With an average exit velocity of 91.8 MPH, he ranks above league average and his xSLG is nearly 100 points higher (.417) than what his actual SLG has delivered (.325). But by swinging and missing at a rate (37.8%) that puts him in the bottom six percentile of all batters in the Majors, he is becoming an increasingly difficult season-long asset. Swinging right-handed, Bell has just one extra-base hit in 36 plate appearances this season; with the arrival of Pirates No. 2 prospect Ke’Bryan Hayes, Bell may get squeezed for at-bats down the stretch. He’ll have the tall task of battling Cincinnati’s stout starting staff this weekend, further complicating his season-long appeal.--Jesse Borek
Source: MLB