Josh Bell spent Pirates' downtime working to identify why the timing is off with his swing

Josh Bell knows his numbers through the first 16 games are down compared to his hot start last season, and the Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star first baseman isn’t one to make excuses for his struggles.

But Bell has spent this week working to identify why he was slashing .213/.246/.328 with two home runs, three extra-base hits and five RBIs, as well as 20 strikeouts and only three walks entering Thursday’s game at Cincinnati. Bell went 1 for 5 with two RBIs and three strikeouts in the 9-6 win over the Reds.

The numbers are stark. It starts with his chase rate — up to 34.9%, from 27.5% last season — and being more aggressive in his approach at the plate. Bell’s chase contact is way down (from 63% to 47.2%) while his whiff percentage has climbed from 48.1% last year to 53.4% this season.

Bell believes it comes down to commanding the strike zone, and that starts with better plate discipline.

He pointed to not missing on pitches in the zone and staying away from those that are low and away, which he’s had a tendency to chase. Bell promised to be more aggressive in his approach.

“I think that last year, when things were going really well, I felt like I was really on the fastball,” said Bell, who batted .277 with 37 doubles, 37 homers and 116 RBIs in 2019. “As the course of the season went on, I saw less and less, and I made adjustments for speed and stuff like that. I feel those adjustments were the beginning of my downfall.”

“Just getting back to fastball timing, fastball approach, fastball stride and letting everything else take care of itself. We’re not going to let these guys establish fastballs in the zone. Our mentality, if you throw a fastball in the zone, you might not get that ball back. If we can play the game like that, we’ll all be in a better place.”

Manager Derek Shelton said the timing has been off for most Pirates hitters, including Bell. That explains in part why their .209 team batting average ranked third-worst in the majors Thursday heading into a four-game series at the Cincinnati Reds. But Bell has been at his worst away from PNC Park. In the Pirates’ first eight road games, he batted .179 (5 for 28) with 11 strikeouts and one walk.

That’s something Bell is trying to change — without making major changes, if that makes sense.

“When you have timing issues, it can lead into mechanical issues,” Shelton said. “It can lead into the pitches you swing at, and that’s the most important thing.”

Bell is the first to admit his timing is off, and it’s all about his approach. A switch hitter, Bell is batting .154 (2 for 13) against lefties. He’s found right-handers are avoiding throwing anything he can pull toward the short right-field porch at PNC Park, instead trying to force him to hit the way of the 410-foot North Side Notch in left-center.

“It’s acknowledging that and not trying to get too pull happy,” Bell said. “When I can do that, that’s when I’m at my best.”

That requires Bell to make split-second swing decisions. When trying to pull the ball, he knows he has to go earlier. The key is being on time for fastballs and keeping them off the ground. Over his last five games, Bell had as many groundouts (five) as strikeouts.

“For the most part, at least the at-bats I’ve seen, a lot of the pitches inside have spinned inside,” Bell said. “So, it looks like a strike, and it bores in off the zone. Everything away is pretty much away, standard. Either two-seamers or changeups down and away. You have to pick which side of the plate you’re going to try and command, try to dominate and go from there.”