Pirates first baseman Josh Bell has been named to the 2019 National League All-Star team for the first time in his career. The 26-year-old Bell finished first in player balloting among first basemen according to Major League Baseball. He is the first Pirates first baseman to be named to the All-Star team since Jason Thompson in 1982.
Bell leads all of Major League Baseball with 70 runs batted in, the fourth-most in club history prior to the All-Star break behind Willie Stargell (87 in 1971 and 75 in 1973) and Brian Giles (72 in 2000). He also leads all of MLB with 54 extra-base hits, just one shy of tying Nate McLouth (2008) for the club record of 55 prior to the All-Star break. Bell was the only Pirate named to the National League team.
The All-Star game will be played July 9th in Cleveland. The Houston Astros lead all of baseball with six players named to the game. They include former Pirate Gerrit Cole. The Tampa Bay Rays had two players named to the American League All-Star team, and both are former Pirates. Pitcher Charlie Morton and outfielder Austin Meadows are the lone representatives from the Rays.
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