Experienced Bell has learned not to stress over slow start

DENVER – Josh Bell has been doing this long enough to know when his swing feels right and when it doesn’t. And more importantly, when he feels like he’s about to break out of a slump.

The first four weeks of this season have constituted a slump for the veteran slugger. He entered this weekend’s series against the Rockies with a .133 batting average, a .267 slugging percentage and only two homers. What, then would be the sign he was ready to break out at last?

“I think it’s just more balls in the air,” he said Saturday morning. “I think when I’m chopping balls foul, I’m in a dark place. But if I can put it in the air, that means my path is good. And if I can just stay inside a little more, I’ll get it in the air in the field of play. …

“Any fly out is a good thing. Any line out is a good thing.”

A couple hours later, Bell sent a fly ball to left field in his first at-bat of the Nationals’ series opener at Coors Field. It traveled 328 feet and was caught easily by Colorado’s Jordan Beck. But it was a fly out, and in Bell’s mind that was a good thing, right?

Yes, it was. Because two innings later, he sent another fly ball to left field. This time, he barreled it up and sent it soaring 370 feet and over the fence for his third homer of the season.

Bell didn’t record any more hits during Saturday’s wild 12-11 win, but he did make two more outs in the air: one on a line drive to third, the other on a fly ball to right. No, those weren’t the results he wanted, but he was pleased with the process.

“There are outs you’re OK with, and outs you’re not OK with,” he said. “I’m trying to stay away from ground balls and double plays and stuff like that. I’ve had a little more of that this past week. But I’m hitting the ball fairly hard to the outfield. It just seems like people are there. I’ve got to just keep rolling, make some subtle tweaks and try to find outfield grass.”

The Nationals are willing to wait this out, because they know Bell’s track record. During the first 23 games of his first stint with the club in 2021, he slashed a paltry .133/.198/.289. Then something clicked in mid-May, and over his final 121 games that season he slashed a stout .287/.375/.513.

Bell, of course, was 28 back then. He’s 32 now, having seen his overall production fall since the Nats traded him to the Padres in August 2022. So there’s no guarantee he’s going to turn things around as dramatically as he has in the past. But they’re willing to find out if he can.

“Josh, when he finds it, he can ride it for six weeks, seven weeks and really put the team on his shoulders,” manager Davey Martinez said. “That’s what happens when he starts hitting the ball.”

Bell has built a career out of streaks, both good ones and bad ones. It’s perhaps not the ideal path toward decent numbers at season’s end, but it’s who he’s always been.

And because of that, he’s long since learned how to deal with something like a slow start.

“It’s not 20 games that make or break your season. It’s probably 100,” he said. “I’ll have probably 40 bad ones, 20 spectacular ones. And the 100 in between are the ones that are going to make your season.”

The Nationals, who signed Bell for a modest $6 million over the winter, have tried to put him in the best position to prioritize offense. He’s serving as the full-time designated hitter, with only a few games at first base sprinkled in when Nathaniel Lowe needs a breather (like he did in the second half of Sunday’s doubleheader).

It can take a while for a hitter to find a DH routine that works for him.

“Every guy I’ve ever known who DH’d, it’s always different for everyone else,” Martinez said. “I’ve seen guys ride the bike between innings. I’ve seen guys hit off the tee between innings. I’ve seen guys hit off the velo machine between innings. Every guy is different. Josh has to find his knack, what will get him ready for his next AB. And he’s been doing good with that.”

The Nationals are committed to giving Bell as much time as he needs. Martinez keeps plugging him into the lineup, usually in a prominent position in the heart of the order.

The one thing nobody seems to worry about is Bell’s mindset. He’s struggled before, and he’ll struggle again. The key, in his mind, is keeping an even-keel through it all.

“I think it’s just understanding that’s baseball sometimes,” he said. “Obviously it’s still really early, but it stinks looking up at the scoreboard and not seeing at least a “2” next to your batting average. But that’s part of it. You’ve just got to grind through it.”