When the Pittsburgh Pirates non-tendered first baseman Pedro Alvarez back in December many began to wonder who would take his place on the MLB roster. The team has since signed John Jaso to platoon at the position with Michael Morse, but rumors suggest one of the organization's top prospects could soon emerge.
Josh Bell, who was recently ranked the No. 49 overall prospect in the MLB, is set to begin the season at Triple-A Indianapolis, which means his MLB debut isn't too far off. The 23-year-old transitioned to first base on a full-time basis in 2015 after playing right field for a majority of his time in the minors from 2012-2014.
He hit .317/.393/.446 with 67 runs scored, 7 home runs, 78 RBI and 9 stolen bases in 131 games between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis last year. His short stint (35 games) at Triple-A was particularly impressive and it's possible the Pirates have big plans for him.
"Since 2004, 44 players have played at least one game at first base for the Pirates. Josh Bell - ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the organization by Baseball America - soon could bring stability to the position," writes Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "He is expected to be the future at first base for the club. In the short term, the Pirates signed John Jaso to a two-year deal this offseason, likely to platoon with Michael Morse or Jason Rogers."
Even general manager Neal Huntington alluded to the fact Bell could make an impact in 2016, assuming all goes well.
"I'm not going to put a time frame on him," the GM told Sawchik. "But there's a lot of good things happening with Josh."
Such comments figure to spur more rumors as the 2016 season approaches. However, Bell was not invited to spring training this year, so he won't have the opportunity to showcase his abilities there.
Baseball America noted in their scouting report on Bell that the youngster could take over at first base for the Pirates next season, but he'll likely have to sort out some defensive issues since he's new to the position.
"He worked hard to improve but struggled with his footwork and led Eastern League first basemen with 13 errors. Despite having a strong arm, he is tentative to make throws."
Still, Huntington expressed confidence in the switch-hitting Bell.
"He's smart. He's athletic. He's working at it. To be where we are at the end of one year at the position, it's very positive."
Pittsburgh doesn't seem concerned with Bell's offense, as he projects as a plus hitter, so once he displays a bit more stability at first base there may no longer be a platoon system at the MLB level.
