Josh Bell Bio
Joshua Evan Bell, known professionally as Josh Bell, is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). A switch-hitter with power from both sides of the plate, he is a former MLB All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner who has played for eight major league organizations since 2016. He attended Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second round of the 2011 MLB draft.
Early Life and Background
Joshua Evan Bell was born on August 14, 1992, in Dallas, Texas. He grew up in the Dallas area and attended Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas, where he became one of the most decorated amateur baseball players in the region. In his senior season at Jesuit, Bell posted a .548 batting average and 1.054 slugging percentage, with 13 home runs, 54 runs batted in, and 54 runs scored.
His senior-year performance earned Bell a place on the USA Today All-USA high school baseball team, and he was also named the Gatorade and ESPN Rise Texas Player of the Year. Coming out of high school, Bell committed to the University of Texas at Austin on a baseball scholarship and was rated by Baseball America as the nation’s top corner outfielder available in the 2011 MLB draft.
Path to Baseball
Bell initially sent a letter to the Commissioner’s office stating that he would honor his college commitment and would not sign a professional contract if drafted. The Pittsburgh Pirates still selected him in the second round, 61st overall, of the 2011 draft. Shortly before the August 2011 signing deadline, Bell and the Pirates agreed to a contract with a $5 million signing bonus, a record at the time for a player drafted in the second round.
Bell bypassed his college scholarship to begin his professional career and was assigned to the Pirates’ system as a corner outfielder. The Pirates’ 2011 draft class set a club record with $17 million in total signing bonuses, surpassing the $11.93 million the Washington Nationals had spent on their 2010 draft class.
Josh Bell Career
Early Career (2011–2016)
Bell did not appear in a regular-season game in 2011, working instead with the State College Spikes and the Pirates’ fall instructional league. He debuted professionally in 2012 with the West Virginia Power of the Single-A South Atlantic League, but a partial lateral meniscus tear limited him to only a handful of games that season.
Bell returned to West Virginia in 2013 and batted .279 with 13 home runs and 76 RBI in 119 games. In 2014, he opened the year with the Bradenton Marauders of the High-A Florida State League and appeared in the All-Star Futures Game before a midseason promotion to the Double-A Altoona Curve. After the season, he was named the Florida State League Player of the Year and was converted to first base in the Arizona Fall League. He reached Triple-A Indianapolis in 2015 and was added to Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster that winter.
Pittsburgh Pirates Breakthrough (2016–2020)
Bell made his major league debut on July 8, 2016, and homered in only his second MLB at-bat the following night, a grand slam. He opened 2017 with a knee procedure in February but did not miss regular-season games, then set the National League record for most home runs by a rookie switch hitter with his 24th on September 4, 2017, off Jake Arrieta. He finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting with 26 home runs and 90 RBI.
On May 8, 2019, Bell became the fourth player in PNC Park history to hit a ball directly into the Allegheny River, a 472-foot blast with a 114.9 mph exit velocity. Two weeks later he became the first MLB player to hit two home runs directly into the Allegheny River. He was elected to his first All-Star Game in 2019 and entered the break batting .302 with 27 home runs and a major-league-leading 84 RBI, though a second-half slump dropped his final line to .277 with 37 home runs and 116 RBI. The shortened 2020 pandemic season saw him hit .226 with eight home runs for Pittsburgh before he was traded.
Washington Nationals Era (2021–2022)
On December 24, 2020, the Pirates traded Bell to the Washington Nationals for Wil Crowe and Eddy Yean. In 2021 he set a $6.35 million salary and batted .261/.347/.476 with 27 home runs and 88 RBI in 144 games. Before 2022, Bell signed a $10 million contract in his final year of arbitration eligibility and slashed .301/.384/.493 with 14 home runs in 103 games before the August trade deadline.
San Diego Padres (2022)
On August 2, 2022, the Nationals traded Bell and Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres in a package that brought back C. J. Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell III, James Wood, Jarlín Susana, and Luke Voit. Bell launched his first Padres home run on August 20, 2022, against his former Nationals teammates, but his production fell to .192/.316/.271 with San Diego, and he lost playing time during the playoffs.
Cleveland Guardians and Miami Marlins (2023–2024)
On December 12, 2022, Bell signed a two-year, $33 million contract with the Cleveland Guardians that included a player opt-out after 2023. He batted .233 with eight home runs and 48 RBI in 97 games for Cleveland before the August 1, 2023 trade that sent him to the Miami Marlins for Jean Segura and Kahlil Watson. With Miami, Bell hit .270/.338/.480 with 11 home runs and 26 RBI in 53 games to close 2023, then played 104 games in 2024 at .239/.305/.394 with 14 home runs and 49 RBI.
Arizona Diamondbacks (2024)
On July 30, 2024, the Marlins traded Bell to the Arizona Diamondbacks for cash considerations. He debuted with Arizona on August 2, 2024, and homered from both sides of the plate in a 9–8 win over the Pirates. In 41 appearances for the Diamondbacks, Bell slashed .279/.361/.436 with five home runs and 22 RBI.
Washington Nationals Second Stint (2025)
On January 5, 2025, Bell returned to the Washington Nationals on a one-year, $6 million contract. On September 8, he became the second player in franchise history, after Danny Espinosa, to hit home runs from both sides of the plate in the same game, doing so in consecutive innings during a 15–7 win over the Miami Marlins. In 140 appearances for Washington in 2025, Bell batted .237/.325/.417 with 22 home runs and 63 RBI.
Minnesota Twins Era (2026–Present)
On December 19, 2025, Bell signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the Minnesota Twins that runs through 2027, giving him a steady landing spot after years of trade-deadline movement. He joined a club looking for veteran right-handed pop to balance the middle of the order and is expected to handle the bulk of the duties at first base and designated hitter. His early returns at the plate have reflected the patient, switch-hitting approach that has defined his major league career.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Bell’s signature moments are his grand slam on the second at-bat of his MLB career, his 2019 PNC Park shots into the Allegheny River, his 2019 All-Star selection, and his 2022 Silver Slugger Award. He also joined Danny Espinosa as one of two Washington Nationals players to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game, a feat he accomplished in consecutive innings in 2025.
Josh Bell Career Wins
Across his MLB career, Josh Bell has compiled a steady resume of on-base production and middle-of-the-order power, headlined by his 2019 All-Star selection and his 2022 Silver Slugger Award. Through the 2025 season, he had hit more than 200 career home runs while playing for seven different major league organizations.
MLB Highlights
Bell’s top MLB seasons include his 2019 campaign with Pittsburgh, when he hit 37 home runs and drove in 116 runs, and his 2021 season in Washington, when he set a personal standard with 27 home runs and an .823 OPS. His most productive full season at the plate came in 2019, when he also paced the National League in RBI at the All-Star break.
Josh Bell Family
Personal Life
Public details about Josh Bell’s family and personal life are limited. He is known to have grown up in the Dallas area, where he attended Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas and starred on the baseball team before being drafted in 2011. Further verified information about his parents, partner, spouse, or children is not publicly confirmed in available sources.
2025 Season Performance
Josh Bell’s 2025 season was spent entirely with the Washington Nationals after he signed a one-year, $6 million free-agent contract in January. He served as a veteran middle-of-the-order bat and played 140 games, finishing at .237/.325/.417 with 22 home runs and 63 RBI while providing switch-hitting balance to a young Washington lineup.
The highlight of Bell’s 2025 campaign came on September 8, when he became the second player in franchise history to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game, doing so in consecutive innings during a 15–7 win over the Miami Marlins. The performance added another entry to his growing list of switch-hitting milestones.
Bell’s 2025 production, combined with the late-season flexibility he had shown in prior years, made him an attractive short-term option in free agency. That fit led to his December 19, 2025 agreement with the Minnesota Twins on a one-year, $7 million deal, positioning him to open 2026 as the Twins’ primary first baseman and a steady right-handed presence in the heart of their order.
