Community-minded Bell excited to return to DC

This story was excerpted from Jessica Camerato’s Nationals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Josh Bell’s first stint with the Nationals from 2021-22 was marked by what he contributed off the field just as much as on the field. Now that Bell is returning to Washington, he is eager to get right back into the community.

“I've been thinking about that a lot the last week or so,” Bell said on his introductory Zoom call. “... I think that I felt the most empowered as a baseball player when I've been playing with the Nats, and that's one of the main reasons why I really want to come back. I always enjoy being in D.C., so I’m definitely excited to have that opportunity again this year.”

Bell, a multiple Roberto Clemente Award nominee, had become a mainstay in the Pittsburgh community during his early career with the Pirates. Just months after he was acquired by the Nats, he was named the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy Player Ambassador in May 2021. Bell held that role until he was traded to the Padres in August 2022.

“It’s an awesome feeling [as] a baseball player where you can put on the jersey every day and play in front of thousands of fans -- but you can take the jersey off and also be a human being that kids look up to and listen to,” Bell said.

Bell launched Josh Bell’s Book Club, a virtual monthly book club focused on self-improvement for adults, during the 2021 season. He also created a book club with youth participants that left an impact on him.

“The last time that I was in D.C., I had a book club for some troubled kids,” Bell said. “We read ‘The Secret.’ The last day before they came to the game, I went out to their summer camp and they were like, ‘Does this work, manifestation?’ I was like, ‘I'm going to manifest a homer tomorrow.’

“I still get chills thinking about me pointing at them as they're jumping up in the stands and I'm running around the bases after hitting a homer. Memories like that in D.C., will always put a smile on my face, and I feel like I wouldn't have experienced that anywhere else.”

Bell will explore avenues for community involvement as he gets re-settled into D.C. His time away from the park has a new dynamic this stint: He and his wife are expecting their third child in March.

“It's a little bit different than just leaving the cats and dog at home, it’s leaving the kiddos at home,” Bell said. “... I will find something that fits for me and my family. I’m definitely excited.”

Inside the clubhouse, Bell will be a veteran leader on a young team that features several players who had not yet reached the Majors his first time on the Nats, including the entire starting outfield of Dylan Crews, James Wood (who was part of the Nats-Padres blockbuster trade with Bell) and Jacob Young.

“I try to lead when I can, when I feel like I need to,” Bell said. “I had some different guys in the [Nationals] clubhouse over the years, [Ryan] Zimmerman and Nelson Cruz. But I think it's important to realize it doesn't matter how many years you have. It matters the type of person you are. Over the years, I've looked up to Juan Soto, who’s younger, to Corbin Carroll, obviously who's younger -- guys that put their career first and understand the importance of the game.

“You can lead in different ways, and sometimes you need a nudge here and there to lead. Some people like that role and some people don't. But I know, for me personally, I'm definitely excited to have that opportunity to lead for a young group.”