BRADENTON (93.7 The FAN) - The bat is not a problem for Josh Bell, we all know that. Some day he may not have to worry about the glove if the DH really does come to the National League, but for now, that's still an area of focus for the Pirates first baseman and he made a big change this offseason to try and help that side of his game.
"I changed my armslot completely, so I'm just trying to focus on releasing the ball three-quarters, maybe a little bit lower than that. Every throw in the throwing program, every throw in ground balls that were taken, it's something that I worked on for months now."
Having put that much work in, Bell says the new throwing motion is already feeling natural.
"It feels so much more natural, that's the key.
Another thing that could help Bell this year is familiar faces that he's throwing to around the infield. Last year Bell had a number of different short stops before Kevin Newman won the job and with he and Adam Frazier a likely duo up the middle, Bell thinks the consistency there will help.
"I think it's going to be good this year just to know that Kevin's going to be there, Frazier's going to be there to turn plays for me. And you saw Kevin today, he's lights out, he's ready to go day one of camp. I'm excited to play with him again, we make each other better."
Click the audio link below to hear more from Bell on what he worked on this offseason and what he thinks of the new regime.
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