3 switch hitters — Josh Bell, Bryan Reynolds, Melky Cabrera — powering Pirates lineup

After finishing 28th and 20th in the majors in runs the previous two seasons and having the second-fewest runs in MLB prior to May 1, the Pittsburgh Pirates have had one of the better offenses in the National League over the past two months.

It almost feels as if the Pirates have flipped a switch. And in one way, they have.

Three dangerous switch hitters are comprising much of the top-to-middle part of the Pirates lineup many days in recent weeks. The surprising emergence of rookie Bryan Reynolds, the career renaissance of veteran Melky Cabrera and the breakout season for Josh Bell have combined to give the Pirates a three-headed monster of switch hitters for opponents to navigate through.

“It’s a wonderful force multiplier in your lineup,” manager Clint Hurdle said Friday not long after posting a lineup in the PNC Park clubhouse that included Reynolds batting second, Bell fourth and Cabrera fifth against the San Diego Padres.

Reynolds (.356 in 177 at bats heading into Friday’s game), Cabrera (.325 in 191 at bats) and Bell (.315 in 279 at bats) all would rank in the top 10 in hitting in the National League if they had enough plate appearances to qualify. (Bell does qualify; the other two weren’t too far off the standard of 227 plate appearances).

Bryan Reynolds would be leading the NL with a .362 batting average if not for that annoying rule demanding 3.1 plate appearances per game, based on the team’s total. #Pirateshttps://t.co/PveV4jMUv1

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) June 21, 2019

The Pirates’ three switch hitters aren’t just posting empty batting averages: they combine for 30 home runs, and 86 extra-base hits, 57 walks and an aggregate OPS of better than .900, too.

“(Opponents) can do whatever they want. We’ve got answers for it on either side of the plate with those three men,” Hurdle said, “and that can help set up the rest of the lineup as well.”

Bell’s 20 home runs are the most by a Pirates’ switch hitter before the All-Star break. His 58 over the past two seasons are the second most by a National League switch hitter.

Reynolds has a smaller sample size. Since Reynolds was recalled to make his MLB debut April 20, only Colorado’s Charlie Blackmon has a better average.

Sample size is no issue for Cabrera; only 10 active players have more career at-bats. But he was signed as a minor-league free agent in February, and at age 34 hit .288 during spring training to make the club.

A 14-year veteran, Cabrera has traditionally been just about as good from either side of the plate (.746 as a right-handed hitter, .758 OPS as a lefty). He has continued that consistency this season: .833 OPS as a righty, .802 from the left side.

Reynolds is similarly potent from both sides (.973 OPS from the left, 1.025 from the right). That mirrors Reynolds’ track record from when the Pirates acquired him in the Andrew McCutchen deal. In 2017, the season before his trade, Reynolds has an .896 OPS right-handed and .805 left-handed at the High-A level in the Giants’ system.

Josh Bell’s eye-opening first half hasn’t gone unnoticed. #Pirateshttps://t.co/gFbcS0B3p7

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) June 12, 2019

Bell, similarly, has a consistent track record no matter which side he hits from, posting a .798 OPS as a left-handed hitter in his first two full seasons in the majors as opposed to .746 as a righty. Although there is a disparity this season (1.077 from the left, .887 from the right), the numbers are so impressive, even from the right side, that Bell is feared regardless.

“They’ve done damage from both sides,” Hurdle said. “It’s just good to have them in there.”

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