Josh Bell making instant impact in Miami

First baseman Josh Bell was not what many fans had considered to be the gem of the Miami Marlins trade deadline, coming from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for third baseman Jean Segura and minor league shortstop Kahlil Watson. The power-hitting switch hitter posted career lows in OPS+ in 2022 with the San Diego Padres (74) and in the first half of 2023 with the Cleveland Guardians (97). 

But in his first ten games with the Marlins, Bell is slashing .308/.372/.667 (12-for-39) with four home runs.

One of those home runs was a game-tying three-run shot in the eighth inning of Miami’s game at the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 9. Bell also had a game-tying single in the 11th inning on Aug. 2 against the Philadelphia Phillies, his first game as a Marlin. The Marlins would go on to win both of those games.

Since Aug. 2, Bell leads the Marlins in Win Probability Added With 0.87.

“I think it was great for him to do it early, because maybe he can take a deep breath,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said prior to Saturday’s 3-1 win against the New York Yankees. “Being traded knowing that ‘alright, I'm part of this thing. I've already helped them win games and now I can just play’ and not feel pressure that he has to do something more than he's already capable of doing was big early on. So I think he's just playing his game now.”

Bell had been hitting the ball just as hard in the first half of 2023 as he had in previous seasons with a 10.6% barrel rate as of Aug. 12, his second-highest of his career behind a 12.7% in 2019. But the results just weren’t there. He was slugging .383 with a .233 batting average this year before coming to Miami. He hit 11 home runs in 393 plate appearances with Cleveland while he has four in 44 plate appearances with the Marlins.

“I was hitting the ball really hard in Cleveland,” Bell told Fish on First. “Just didn't have a lot of luck. I don't know if it's the turf here, if it's the change of threads and being on a different lineup…I’ve definitely got to give a shout out to the hitting guys here. The preparation is on point. I go into each and every at-bat feeling like I know what to expect and know what to look for.”

Having coached against him as a bench coach with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2021 and 2022, Schumaker knew Bell was a tough at-bat who could hit equally well from both sides of the plate, largely avoiding any extreme platoon splits throughout his career. But the first-year Marlins manager said he’s learned about Bell’s character off the field in the last week-and-a-half.

“What I didn't know is his work ethic and what kind of person he was,” Schumaker said. “We're trying to provide and create a winning culture for not just this year, but for years to come. And when you add guys like him to this clubhouse, it only helps everyone else as well.”

For now, Bell said he wants to be a “fly on the wall” and understand how things operate in Miami. He said catcher and former Florida State League teammate Jacob Stallings reached out and explained the culture of the team. 

While he hasn’t been here for long, Bell is already contributing to—and benefiting from—that culture that Schumaker and his staff have instilled this year.

“I think just the trust coming over here, seeing that I was hitting third in the lineup on day one and playing first base,” Bell said. “I was (hitting) maybe fifth or sixth in Cleveland. Just knowing that Skip trusted me and the front office trusted me to have extra at-bats to kind of solidify the middle of the lineup definitely meant a lot, especially after having such bad luck. So you know, that kind of set a standard for me. I was like ‘alright, if you’re gonna hit third, you better be ready to go.’ So I feel good. And it kind of lit a fire underneath.”

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