Bell returns to Nats looking to supply power and leadership

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – There’s no ill will. Josh Bell wished he could’ve been a National this entire time, but he has always understood why Mike Rizzo included him in the Juan Soto trade package that brought five prospects to D.C. in August 2022 and remade the franchise for the long term.

“That’s just baseball,” he said. “I would have made the same move.”

Bell felt that way at the time, he felt that way in the 2 1/2 years since as he bounced from San Diego to Cleveland to Miami to Arizona. And he still feels that way now, thrilled to be back where this little odyssey began, reunited with the Nationals after signing a $6 million deal with them this winter.

It’s a Nationals team that looks very different from the one he parted.

“You see what we got in return,” he said.

Indeed, all five prospects acquired in that blockbuster deal are now part of big league camp. CJ Abrams is an All-Star shortstop. MacKenzie Gore pitched like an All-Star for a large chunk of the 2024 season and is looking to prove he can sustain that over a full six months. James Wood was a revelation during the first three months of his major league career, the young outfielder itching to break out in a big way this year. And Jarlin Susana and Robert Hassell III are here as well, each unlikely to make the Opening Day roster but each still possessing a good chance of joining the rest of the group in D.C. some day in the not-too-distant future.

That young group needed help, though. It needed a proven power bat to fill out the lineup. And it needed an experienced, respected major leaguer who can teach these kids how to conduct themselves on and off the field.

“You can’t have a better guy in the clubhouse,” Rizzo said. “You talk about a veteran presence and 80-makeup guy, a guy between the lines and in the clubhouse and in the community, he’s as good as has ever been here.”

Bell won over the Nationals and Nationals fans alike with both his performance and his community involvement during his 1 1/2 seasons with the team. And his performance at the plate was legit: a .278/.363/.483 slash line, 48 doubles, 41 homers and 145 RBIs in 247 games.

The nomadic journey through four different organizations since the trade produced a few memorable moments for Bell – especially a run to the 2022 National League Championship Series with the Padres – but overall he hasn’t been the same hitter since. In 348 games with the Padres, Guardians, Marlins and Diamondbacks, he slashed .240/.321/.392 with 56 doubles, 44 homers and 159 RBIs.

Last season saw Bell produce his first below-average OPS (.725) since the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign with the Pirates. He totaled only 19 homers in 603 plate appearances, a number he’s not proud of.

The Nats want more power from the 32-year-old, and he has bought in with an altered approach at the plate. For starters, he’s standing more upright, even leaning back a bit before the pitch is delivered.

“He really wants to stay in his legs a lot better,” manager Davey Martinez said. “So, being upright will help.”

Then, there’s the matter of hitting the ball in the air more than he traditionally has. Bell’s career groundball rate of 50.2 percent is nearly six points higher than the league average. He’s hit into 79 double plays since 2021, second-most in the majors behind only Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

How does he address that? By making a concerted effort to lift the ball in the air more, even if it leads to a few more swings and misses in the process.

“I feel like I’m not afraid to strike out more if it means less ground balls, because that’s been a part of my game for a little bit,” he said. “I know when I’m at my best, I don’t hit the ball on the ground; I strike out a little bit more. So, if I can take one and get rid of the other, then I’ll be in a good place and the average should stay the same or go up. Time will tell.”

Bell is excited to be able to devote the overwhelming majority of his time and energy to the art of hitting this season. Though he always worked hard and genuinely wanted to be the best first baseman he could be, he’s relieved to know he’ll mostly be the Nationals’ designated hitter this year, leaving first base to former Gold Glove winner Nathaniel Lowe.

“I think, like, 95 percent of my brain power is going to go into hitting. Definitely wasn’t that (before),” he said. “It might have looked that way, but definitely wasn’t the case in the years prior.”

This is an older, wiser version of Bell in his second stint in Washington. He and his wife have two kids now, with a third due to arrive in a couple of weeks. He’s not in search of the big payday anymore. He’s focused now on finding his way back to October baseball after getting a taste of it in San Diego.

And while this Nats team may not look quite ready to make that giant leap, his addition this winter could help move them in the right direction, in more than one way.

“What I love about Josh, he does the baseball stuff on the field, hitting. But what he does in the clubhouse means a lot,” Martinez said. “This is his second stint with me. He understands what he needs to do in there. He’s very soft-spoken, but when he needs to speak up, he does and guys tend to listen. I love that about him. I think he’s going to be a really big attribute to that clubhouse.”