Josh Bell's Contribution At The Plate Goes Beyond Hitting Home Runs

Josh Bell leads the Cleveland Guardians in walks after the first series of the season.

The Cleveland Guardians offense picked up big time after they were shut out by the Seattle Mariners on Opening Day. 

Cleveland's offense assembled 27 hits following their Thursday night loss, but surprisingly none of these came from Josh Bell. The only hit the switch-hitter had over the weekend came in the seventh inning of the season opener. 

Don't freak out! No, this doesn't mean the signing was a bust or Bell isn't living up to the hype because he's still been able to get on base. 

Bell walked six times in the opening series against the Mariners, which is already tied for the second most in baseball. The Dodgers' Miguel Vargas leads MLB with eight, and that's another fascinating story in itself! 

It would make sense that Bell only has one hit if he also has six walks. Opposing pitchers aren't giving him anything to hit and the former Silver Slugger isn't biting on it either. 

With this many walks, it also means that Bell is seeing a ton of pitches. He's already seen 72 pitches this season with 35 of those coming as strikes and the other 37 as balls. His .389 OBP is also the second-highest on the team behind Mike Zunino's .545

This is something that we should've seen coming when the Guardians signed him to a two-year deal. Bell had fantastic plate discipline last season as he ranked in the 83rd percentile in K%, 73rd percentile in chase rate, and 66th percentile in Whiff% according to his Baseball Savant. 

I can't wait to see Bell hit a ton of home runs in a Guardians uniform. But I'm perfectly fine if he keeps taking his free base if pitchers don't want to throw him a strike. 

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Read More:

The Guardians Have Their Offensive-Minded Catcher, But At What Cost?

Guardians Take Three Of Four From Mariners To Win First Series Of The Season

Tim Herrin Shines In Major League Debut With Guardians

Mike Zunino Hit First Home Run In A Guardians Uniform

Andres Gimenez Showing Why The Guardians Wanted To Keep Him Around

Guardians Go Deep Twice In 2-0 Win Over The Mariners

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Cover Photo Credit: © Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports