Joshua Evan Bell...Is a 2011 graduate of Jesuit College Preparatory School in Dallas, TX, where he hit .556 with 14 home runs, 55 RBI and 57 runs scored as a senior...PGA Tour golfer Jordan Spieth is also a 2011 graduate of the same prep school...Was also named the Gatorade Texas Player-of-the-Year, Baseball America All-American, USA Today All USA First-Team selection, Louisville Slugger All American, Rawlings All American First Team, District 9-5A MVP, Dallas News Player-of-the-Year, Texas 5A All-State First Team and one of the top 10 High School players by Sports Illustrated as a senior...Hit .412 with 11 home runs, 36 RBI, 36 runs scored, an .897 slugging percentage and .528 on-base percentage as a junior...Was named a District 8-5A MVP, Texas Sports Writers Class 5A All-State First-Team, Dallas Morning News All-Area First-Team and an All-District 8-5A First-Team selection as a junior...Earned varsity letters in baseball from 2008-2011...Received a $5 million signing bonus, a record for a player outside of the first round, to bypass his college baseball scholarship to the University of Texas at Austin...Signed by Pirates scout Mike Leuzinger.
2017
Set National League record for most home runs by a switch-hitting rookie and fell one shy of the Major League mark held by Eddie Murray (1977) and Tony Clark (1996)...Led N.L. rookies in hits and walks and tied for first in doubles...Ranked second among N.L. rookies in RBI, runs, triples, total bases (256) and extra-base hits (58)...Tied for second in home runs...Hit .301 (44-for-146) and produced 69 RBI while batting with runners in scoring position; the average and RBI total led all National League rookies...Tied for fourth among all N.L. players in games played...Tied club record for most home runs by a rookie (also Jason Bay in 2004)...Became one of only eight rookies in team history to collect 90 RBI; his 90 RBI were the most by a Pittsburgh rookie since Maurice Van Robays' record 116 in 1940...Became just the second switch-hitter in team history to hit at least 25 home runs in one season, joining Bobby Bonilla, who hit 32 in 1990...His 159 games played were the second-most among all Pittsburgh rookies behind Johnny Ray's 162 in 1982...His 16 home runs and 35 extra-base hits prior to the All-Star break were the most ever by a Pirates rookie (since first All-Star Game was played in 1933)... Ranked fifth among N.L. first basemen with 147 games played at that position; ranked sixth in total chances (1235) and tied for third in double plays (116)...Hit .259 (109-for-421) with 18 home runs and 69 RBI while batting left-handed and .242 (31-for-128) with eight home runs and 21 RBI while batting right-handed...Was the Opening Day starter at first base...Homered in back-to-back games on 4/19 at St. Louis and 4/21 vs. New York (AL)...Connected off LHP CC Sabathia for a home run on 4/21 - his first career extra-base hit off a lefthander...Hit his second homer batting right-handed on 4/26 vs. Chicago - off Jon Lester...Recorded his first big league stolen base on 4/30 at Miami...Bounced a home run into the Allegheny River on 5/5 vs. Milwaukee...Collected an extra base hit in seven straight games between 5/12-19; the longest streak by a Pirates player since Josh Harrison also recorded an extra base hit in seven straight games from July 27 to August 2, 2014 and the longest by a Pittsburgh rookie since Neil Walker did so in seven straight from August 25 to September 1, 2010... Homered four times in a six-game span between 5/12-18...Began the month of June by homering in back-to-back games on 6/2-3 at New York (NL)...Collected his first Major League triple on 6/10 vs. Miami...Homered and tripled on 6/16 vs. Chicago...Connected off St. Louis' Seung Hwan Oh for first career walkoff home run on 7/14; a three-run blast that broke a 2-2 tie in the ninth inning...Had a career-high four hits and tied career high (third time) with four RBI on 7/21 at Colorado...Produced his second career pinch-hit home run on 7/30 at San Diego...Had another four-hit game on 8/25 at Cincinnati...Hit .323 (30-for-93) with 21 RBI in 28 games during the month of August...Tied career high with four RBI on 9/4 vs. Chicago (NL)...Finished third in the BBWAA voting for National League Rookie-of-the-Year behind Cody Bellinger and Paul DeJong
2016
Entered season ranked by Baseball America and MLB.com as Pittsburgh's third-best prospect...Also ranked by MLB.com as the second-best first base prospect behind Houston's A.J. Reed...Spent majority of campaign with Triple-A Indianapolis...Was named Pittsburgh's Minor League Player-of-the-Year...Was selected to the International League's mid- and post-season All-Star teams...Captured MLBPipeline.com's Player-of-the-Year award for the Pirates...Ranked fourth among International League leaders in OBP (.382) and was 10th in batting (.295)...Hit a grand slam while hitting for the cycle on 4/22 at Louisville...Was named the league's Player-of-the-Week for the week of 4/18-24...Batted .364 with nine doubles, seven homers and 26 RBI in 30 games during the month of June...Led all International League players with 77 total bases in June...Was leading the league in hits (101), extra-base hits (36), total bases (167) and OPS (.942) when he was recalled by Pittsburgh on 7/8...Made Major League debut as a pinch hitter on 7/8 vs. Chicago and singled off Jake Arrieta on the first pitch he saw...Connected off Chicago's Adam Warren for a pinch-hit grand slam in his second at bat on 7/9 ...Received walks in his next two big league plate appearances before being optioned back to Indianapolis on 7/16...Hit .211 (23-for-109) with a homer and seven RBI in 31 Triple-A games between 7/17 and 8/19...Hit .330 with 10 home runs vs. RHP and .310 with three homers vs. LHP while playing with Indianapolis...Was recalled a second time by the Pirates on 8/20...Made his first Major League start (first base) on 8/21 and went 1-for-3 with an RBI...Reached base safely in 13 of his first 14 big league games, going 11-for-27 (.407) with nine walks and a .541 OBP thru 8/29...Produced a .315 (17-for-54) average while batting with runners on base...Served as the leadoff batter for the first time in his career on 9/30 at St. Louis and went hitless in four at bats...Made 19 starts at first base and 14 in right field while playing with the Pirates; committed three errors (all fielding) while playing first base and had one fielding error while playing right field
2015
Began season ranked by Baseball America as the organization's fourth-best prospect and the 64th-best prospect in baseball...Was also recognized as the "Best Hitter For Average" in the Pirates system...Was tabbed by MLB.com as the best first base prospect in minor league baseball...Batted .317 (155-for-489) with 24 doubles, nine triples, seven home runs, 78 RBI and an .838 OPS in a career-high 131 minor league games with Double-A Altoona (96 games) and Triple-A Indianapolis (35 games)...Set career highs in games, hits, triples and RBI...Was named to the Eastern League mid-season All-Star team...Also represented the Pirates at the MLB Futures Game in Cincinnati on 7/12; was the starting first baseman and went 1-for-2 with a home run...Ranked third among Pittsburgh farmhands in batting and second in RBI...Spent his first season playing exclusively as a first baseman; made 84 starts there with Altoona and 31 with Indianapolis...Began season with Altoona and won Player-ofthe-Week honors for the week of 4/27-5/3 after hitting .615 (16-for-26) with three triples, 11 RBI and a 1.574 OPS in six games...Was ranked fifth in the Eastern League in batting when he was promoted to Indianapolis on 7/31...Made Triple-A debut on 8/1 and delivered the walkoff single in the 13th inning of Indy's 6-5 victory over Charlotte...His .394 average from 8/5 thru the end of the regular season was the second-highest in the International League...Hit .379 (11-for-29) with a homer, seven RBI and a .974 OPS in eight postseason games...Capped a three-run rally with a walkoff single in the ninth inning in Game Four of the Governor's Cup Championship vs. Columbus on 9/18.
