Shortly after Josh Bell was traded to the Washington Nationals this offseason, infield coach Tim Bogar reached out to the first baseman. Bogar lives only about 20 minutes from Bell’s house in Texas, and he saw an opportunity to get a head start on the task ahead at spring training.
Working at an infield facility, Bell was fielding grounders hit by his father and throwing into a net. Bogar looked on, offered feedback and made suggestions along the way.
When it comes to Bell, ability at the plate has never been in question — even after a down season in 2020 in which he hit .