MILWAUKEE — Thursday, Josh Bell became the fifth Pirates player since 1950 to walk three times in one of the first 10 games of his major league career. The other four were Frank Thomas in 1951, Paul Smith and Eddie O’Brien in 1953, and, most recently, Barry Bonds in 1986.
“Well, let’s slow down on the Barry Bonds deal,” manager Clint Hurdle joked Friday.
Sure, it’s a little early for comparisons, but Bell’s walks Thursday sent his on-base percentage soaring to .565. That number prompted Hurdle to hike Bell from sixth to second in the batting order for the second game of a four-game set in Milwaukee, splitting a pair of struggling swingers by leaving Josh Harrison leadoff and dropping Starling Marte to fifth.