Bell embracing leadership role in second stint with Nats

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Josh Bell didn’t need an introductory course to navigate the Nationals’ facilities at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. He knows how to get to the clubhouse, the training room and the cafeteria. He’s been here before.

In fact, this is the third name the complex has had while he’s been a member of the Nationals. It was FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches and then simply The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in 2021 and 2022, respectively. It has a new sponsorship this third time around.

After coming to the Nats on Christmas Eve trade in 2020, Bell called West Palm Beach home for the next two springs. But then he was included in the Juan Soto blockbuster trade with the Padres halfway through the 2022 season and spent parts of the next 2 ½ seasons in San Diego, Cleveland, Miami and Arizona.

That winding road eventually led him back here to West Palm after signing a one-year, $6 million contract to return to the Nats in the offseason. And here he is back in the spring clubhouse he once shared with a veteran team that is now filled with a lot of new, young faces, including some for whom he was traded just 2 ½ years ago.

“It's cool. It's definitely different this go around,” Bell said in front of his new locker in the clubhouse just a few doors down from his old one. “New faces, some guys I've played against in the past, and even the guys that were here when I got traded, they were competitors for the last couple of years. So it's good getting back into the mix and it feels like a fresh start, even though it's the same clubhouse.”

Now when he looks around that same clubhouse, he doesn’t see the likes of Ryan Zimmerman, Max Scherzer or Soto. Instead, he sees CJ Abrams, James Wood and Dylan Crews sitting nearby.

Part of the reason the Nats wanted Bell back was for his veteran leadership. Dating back to his first stint in Washington, he was always respected as a good player, student of the game and great teammate. He had leadership qualities, but he didn’t need to flex them as much on a veteran team.

Those qualities will probably be more prevalent on this younger team. And he’ll have that experience on a veteran team to look back on while taking these young players under his wing.

“I think it's just reflecting (on) some of the greats that I've played with,” he said. “I think of Zimmerman and Scherzer here, and (Andrew) McCutchen and Josh Harrison a couple of times here and in Pittsburgh. Some dinners, some tough talks and some conversations I needed when I was not playing well. So it's one of those scenarios where I don't know exactly how it's going to look, but I know that when the time's right, I'm going to be able to direct.”

When Bell left for San Diego in 2022, he didn’t know he would come back to Washington at some point. But he always wanted to leave that option open, and he let Nats general manager Mike Rizzo and his agent Scott Boras know it.

“I think he had a great time here,” Rizzo said in an exclusive interview with MASN’s Amy Jennings. “We put a lot of onus on him and a lot of pressure on him when he was here the first time to kind of carry us at the first base position, offensively and defensively. But what he impressed me with, he's a pro's pro. He's a guy that takes pride in the offensive and defensive part of his game. But what he does in the clubhouse and what he does in the community and just the person he is is just remarkable. A guy near and dear to my heart. A guy that is as good a teammate as I've ever been around.”

“When I look back on my career, D.C. has always held a very special place for me and my family,” Bell said. “Obviously, I played really well here, for the most part. Nothing but positive memories on the field and in the community. So when I got some word from my agency that D.C. was interested and Rizzo was in talks back and forth, I told Boras to try to make it happen if he could. So I'm happy that it worked out and I'm excited for the year to come.”

Bell is also excited for the days to come, as the young Nats players aren’t the only youngsters he will be taking care of this spring. He and his wife, Arlia, are expecting their third child within the next week, the couple’s first son.

Another Bell to ring in the new season.