Guardians Finally Getting Power From Josh Bell

Josh Bell has a hitting .360 over his last seven games as he helps the Cleveland Guardians' offense heat up.

Author:
Tommy Wild
Jun 14, 2023 2:20 PM EDT

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The Cleveland Guardians were self-aware of what they needed to add to their roster after 2022 ended. They were one of the worst power-hitting teams in baseball and needed to do something to fix it.

They went out and signed Josh Bell and Mike Zunino in hopes of adding some pop to the lineup. The plan hasn't quite worked so far, but one of them is starting to turn it on.

Bell over his last seven games has a batting average of .360 and a slugging percentage of .720. Over his last 15 games, he's hit three home runs, driven in 10 runners, and recorded 15 hits.

The most recent home run came on Tuesday as the Guardians opened up a three-game set with the San Diego Padres. He smoked an 82 mph slider off Joe Musgrove and took it deep in Petco Park.

Bell talked a little bit about how he's been seeing the ball better last Sunday when we were just a triple shy of the cycle. He said,

"Just watching a ton of video with (Chris Valaika) and (Jason Esposito) and trying to do a deep dive on what's going on right now. Because the ball flight in the cage and batting practice has been great and I've been driving the ball to all fields, but that hasn't really been showing up in the game. (I) found some things, worked on some things, and it was awesome to see the results."

Bell later went on to talk about how he's been able to drive fastballs recently which is becoming a trend. He has a batting average of .294 (second-highest of his career) and slugging .485 against 4-seamers this season.

Cleveland needs to be able to hit home runs if they hope to keep pace with some of the best offensive teams in baseball. Bell can't do it all himself, but it's finally nice to see him get it going.

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