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<p>MOOSIC &#8212; Before the RailRiders could play their first official game of the season, they&#8217;ve already had to deal with the nature of Triple-A baseball.</p><p>Losing Clint Frazier and Tyler Wade to New York, replacing Giancarlo Stanton and Miguel Andujar on the Yankees&#8217; 25-man roster.</p><p>Despite the loss of two marquee players, first-year skipper Jay Bell has high expectations for his ball club.</p><p>&#8220;Having had the opportunity to play in Pittsburgh for as long as I did, I know in the state of Pennsylvania the people appreciate hard work,&#8221; said Bell, 53. &#8220;We expect them to bust their rear ends. We want them to win and succeed but at the same time we want them to give their solid effort.&#8221;</p><p>Bell is hoping to lead the RailRiders to the International League playoffs for the fifth consecutive year, despite being there third manager in the past three years.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s about player development. There&#8217;s no doubt about that, but at the same time these guys like to win,&#8221; Bell, a former World Series champion said. &#8220;I think there was a bitter taste in their mouths from Game 5 (last year), and they want to come out here and do something different.&#8221;</p><p>Bell believes his relationship with his players is of utmost importance to him.</p><p>&#8220;I want them to succeed and be the best they can be,&#8221; Bell noted. &#8220;But I want to be as honest with them as I can be, so they can get the most out of their abilities.&#8221;</p><p>Although it&#8217;s his first year managing in Triple-A, Bell managed the Yankees Double-A Trenton Thunder in 2018 and High-A Tampa Tarpoons in 2017.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a different animal in Triple-A,&#8221; Bell mentioned. &#8220;Guys are coming and going. Everyone&#8217;s desire is to make it to the MLB.&#8221;</p><p>Bell believes that everyone on his roster is capable of advancing to the next level of their professional careers if they follow four points:</p><p>&#8226; Be on time.</p><p>&#8226; Play hard.</p><p>&#8226; Empathize with your teammates.</p><p>&#8226; Respect your opponent.</p><p>&#8220;If you can do those four things, you will be successful,&#8221; he said.</p><p><strong>Pitchers and Catchers</strong></p><p>Bell believes his veteran catchers, Kyle Higashioka and Ryan Lavarnway, will have a positive impact on his pitching staff.</p><p>&#8220;Both Higgy (Higashioka) and Rhyno (Lavarnway) are extraordinary,&#8221; he stated. &#8220;They love coming to the ballpark to compete. There are a lot of things that light these guys up. They will make an impact on the team.</p><p>With the addition of two-time all-star Gio Gonzalez and players with previous MLB experience like Billy Burns, Drew Hutchinson and Rex Brothers, the RailRiders have a lot of knowledge at their disposal.</p><p>&#8220;As coaches, we know a lot but we don&#8217;t know everything,&#8221; Bell noted. &#8220;That&#8217;s what the most enjoyable part of baseball is. It&#8217;s not just coaches coaching, its players coaching each other.&#8221;</p><p>Bell named Gonzalez as Thursday&#8217;s Opening Day starter in Buffalo. Chance Adams will pitch in the second game of the series while Nestor Cortes Jr. will pitch in the third game.</p><p>Bell would not confirm who he will have close out games but hinted that the role may be situational.</p><p>&#8220;All these guys are going to be in pressure situations,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I believe that I owe it to my players that once they get to New York or wherever they land in the bigs they will be prepared. I have an idea but it&#8217;s going to be more than just one.&#8221;</p><p>He also provided vague injury updates on pitchers Brady Lail and Michael King, saying they are still rehabbing from their injuries.</p><p><strong>Position Players/ Outfielders</strong></p><p>Bell said it was a sigh of relief that he didn&#8217;t have to deal with the logjam of first basemen after the Yankees kept Greg Bird and Luke Voit on the roster. Because of that, Bell says Ryan McBroom and Mike Ford will split time between first base and designated hitter.</p><p>The skipper did say that he has to tinker with the lineup since Frazier and Wade got called up.</p><p>&#8220;I was really looking forward to using Clint Frazier this season,&#8221; Bell said with sincerity. &#8220;I&#8217;m going to miss him. He had a terrific spring. He scuffled a little bit in the beginning with his timing not being there. But once he got it, he got it in a big way.</p><p>Bell said he planned on using Frazier in all three outfield positions to give him more versatility. Bell also had Frazier penciled in to bat lead off for the RailRiders on Opening Day. </p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRider Nestor Cortez talks to the media Monday afternoon at PNC Field in Moosic. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_Nestor-Cortez.jpg</photo0><caption0>Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRider Nestor Cortez talks to the media Monday afternoon at PNC Field in Moosic. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_Jay-Bell-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Bell </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_Jay-Bell-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Bell </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Dan Stokes</p><p>dstokes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Dan Stokes at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @ByDanStokes</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Bell has big expectations for 2019 RailRiders season