Setting expectations for Bell in 81-game season

We all remember Josh Bell doing stuff like this, right?

Good, good. Just making sure. It might be easy to forget Bell's historic launch in 2019 — one that saw him capture National League Player of the Month honors in May — when considering that devastating, 69-93 Pirates season as a whole.

Through May 31, though — a stretch of 56 games — Bell hit 18 home runs and drove in 52 runs, slashing .343/.405/.704. The results inserted his name into conversations with guys like Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson.

Decent.

“I’m jealous how easy it is,” Colin Moran told me of Bell's performance during that May run. “It’s just too easy. He’s so talented. He can do it all. He can take you deep and…