This overlooked Twins player deserves more attention from fans

Royce Lewis is heating up, and Byron Buxton is nearing a return. Several young Twins have had their moments. Meanwhile, Josh Bell has quietly been one of the most productive hitters in the Minnesota Twins lineup.

I'll admit I was skeptical when the Twins signed Bell last winter. Minnesota gave the veteran switch-hitter a one-year, $7 million contract with a mutual option for 2027, hoping he could provide some stability at first base and designated hitter. It looked like another very Twins-like offseason move: inexpensive, reasonable and not particularly exciting. And early on, the skepticism seemed justified. Bell's season has been streaky. When he's cold, he's very cold. But when he's hot, he can carry the Twins offense.

Right now, Bell is on fire.

Over his last seven games, Bell is batting .393 with a .469 on-base percentage and .607 slugging percentage. He has 11 hits, two home runs and eight RBI during that span, while drawing four walks against just three strikeouts. Stretch it to 15 games, and he's hitting .316/.400/.491 with three homers and 10 RBI. Bell added three more hits and an RBI in Wednesday's 7-5 win over the Orioles, helping the Twins take the series. He has now reached base in 16 consecutive games.

And yet, Bell's recent tear has largely flown under the radar. Much of the attention surrounding the Twins offense has understandably shifted toward Lewis, who has finally started looking like the hitter Minnesota has been waiting for. Lewis' resurgence matters. A healthy and productive Lewis changes the ceiling of this lineup. But while everyone has been watching Lewis heat up, Bell has been sitting in the middle of the order producing.

Twins DH Josh Bell's impact goes beyond his season numbers

Bell's overall numbers aren't going to jump off the page. He's hitting around .250 with 16 home runs, 72 RBI and an OPS of .742. Those aren't superstar numbers. Bell isn't suddenly the 2019 version of himself who hit 37 home runs for Pittsburgh and made the All-Star team. But that's also missing the point. The Twins didn't sign Bell to be their superstar. They needed a legitimate major-league bat who could occupy the middle of the lineup, drive in runs and provide some power. Bell has done that, and at times he's given them considerably more. His production has also mattered.

The Twins have been remarkably successful when Bell drives in runs. They're 30-13 when Bell records an RBI and 13-4 when he drives in multiple runs. There are some encouraging numbers beneath the surface, too. Bell has a 90 mph average exit velocity and a 44.4% hard-hit rate, and he's been particularly dangerous against four-seam fastballs, hitting .300 with a .381 wOBA against them. That's fitting for a hitter who has repeatedly seemed to get hot when Minnesota needs someone to pick up the offense.

That's been especially valuable this season. Buxton has missed time. Lewis spent much of the year trying to find his swing. Other hitters have gone through their own stretches of inconsistency. Bell hasn't avoided those slumps himself, but when he's emerged from them, he has tended to emerge in a big way.

There hasn't been one long, uninterrupted breakout. Bell's production has come in waves. He'll go through a stretch where seemingly nothing is happening, then spend the next couple of weeks driving the baseball all over the field. But look at the season as a whole, and Bell has quietly been one of the constants in this lineup. That's also what made his comments ahead of the trade deadline interesting.

Bell was among the players publicly arguing that the Twins were worth reinforcing rather than dismantling. After watching what happened to Minnesota's clubhouse at last year's deadline from the other side, he believed this year's team deserved the opportunity to stay together and make a run. Now he's doing his part to make that run possible.

Bell isn't the biggest name in the Twins lineup. He isn't the player fans have spent years waiting to see reach his potential, like Lewis, and he isn't the face of the offense, like Buxton. He's just producing. Baseball seasons aren't built entirely on stars staying hot for six months. They're also built on players picking each other up when those stars aren't. For much of this season, when the Twins have needed somebody to do that, Bell has been there.

Lewis deserves the attention he's getting for his recent resurgence. Buxton's return will deservedly be a major story for a team trying to stay in the postseason race...but don't overlook the veteran switch-hitter quietly sitting in the middle of the lineup.

Josh Bell might be streaky, but he's also been one of the Twins' most productive hitters when they've needed him most. It's probably time he started getting a little more attention for it.

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