Washington Nationals Slugger Reveals Lofty Goal for Upcoming Campaign
The Washington Nationals made a concerted effort to infuse some power into their lineup this offseason.
After finishing second to last in home runs hit during the 2024 campaign, they wanted to add some pop to more consistently score runs.
They were successful in that quest, upgrading at first base in a major way.
First, they acquired Nathaniel Lowe from the Texas Rangers in exchange for relief pitcher Robert Garcia. Days later, they brought back a familiar face, agreeing to a one-year, $6 million deal with Josh Bell.
Given his Gold Glove ability, Lowe will be handling the lion’s share of the playing time in the field. That means for the first time in his career, Bell won’t be playing the field very often, as he will be handling the designated hitter’s spot.
It is something that he is excited about since he can focus all of his energy and effort on hitting.
He knows what the team needs after a disappointing 2024 from their first basemen and designated hitters; slugging.
Both the team and veteran are on the same page, and he will be looking to provide the kind of power the team knows that he is capable of producing.
As a full-time DH, he believes he can have the best hitting season of his career. But, that also means a change in approach at the plate.
For most of his career, Bell focused on making contact, keeping strikeout numbers low.
Now, he has set a new goal heading into 2025, as he wants to embrace his role as a power hitter for the Nationals.
“That’s kind of in my DNA,” he said. “But understanding MVPs the last few years, they hit 40-plus homers and they might strike out 150-plus times, but that doesn’t get talked about. The slug is the most important thing. That’s where WAR is. That’s what wins games. I feel like you get docked more for a double play than you get docked for a strikeout. So that’s something I have to keep in mind ... I have a big frame, and I should probably hit more than 19 home runs a season. Hopefully, a year from now I can be looking back on a season where I had 40-plus and break my own records for slug in a season. That’s the goal,” the powerful switch-hitter said via Mark Zuckerman of MASN.
The most home runs Bell has hit in a single season was 37, which he did with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019 when he was named an All-Star. His slugging percentage that season was an impressive .569, which is the number he is going to try and break this upcoming campaign.
He hasn’t gotten over the .500 mark since, but following that year with the Pirates, his best power-hitting performances at the plate came during his time with Washington.
Bell had a .483 slugging percentage across 247 games and 1,005 plate appearances, hitting 41 home runs with 48 doubles and recording a 6.4 WAR.
If he can get close to those numbers, the Nationals' offense will be much improved this season.
