Josh Bell Reveals Why He Chose To Join The Guardians
Josh Bell could've chosen to go anywhere over the winter.
He was an unrestricted free agent whose services would've been welcome on all 30 MLB teams. In the end, the Silver Slugger decided to sign with the Cleveland Guardians on a two-year deal.
But why the Guardians?
As happy as I am that he's on the roster for 2023, there were certainly plenty of other teams that could've given him more money on a longer contract. That clearly wasn't the only motivator when Bell decided on his next team.
He said this about why he joined the Guardians:
"You know you look at the squad, you look at the season they had last year. They had three guys hitting in front of me with 20 plus stolen bases and guys who get on base a lot, guys that are stolen base threats that can score from first base. So a guy like me, especially about the shift, I'm going to put a lot of balls in play and hopefully, I can put a lot of runs up on the board."
Hearing how Bell immediately talks about how he'll fit into the offense by making contact and bringing runners around tells me he's already bought into the "Guardians' brand." This may not be the most popular style of play, but it proved to be successful last season.
Cleveland prided itself on their ability to get runners from first to third on base hits and Bell fits this blueprint with his strong contact.
What Bell didn't mention was the force he'll also bring to the lineup. It's no secret that Cleveland was missing a true power hitter last season. The Yankees exposed this in the playoffs and getting one was high on the Guardians' "to-do" list over the winter.
Bringing in a bat such as Josh Bell more than fills this need. He only hit 17 home runs in 2022, but that's more of an anomaly for what Bell is used to doing. Still, he ranked in the 83rd percentile in max exit velocity and had a .422 SLG.
He's already crushed two home runs in Spring Training, and something tells me he'll still hit a few more.
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Cover Photo Credit: © Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
