La Velle E. Neal III’s 3-2 pitch: Josh Bell at first base is a boost for the Twins

Here’s the 3-2 Pitch: Three observations and two predictions regarding the Minnesota sports scene.

The Twins finally made Josh Bell, their $7 million first-base signing, available for a Zoom interview on Jan. 8. That was the opportunity for me to ask him if I can put him down for 145 games this season.

“That’s the plan,” he said. “I try to take care of my body as best I can, easier said than done. Sometimes, sometimes you got to play through some things that are nagging. But I try to do my best to be available for the team.”

Bell has played at least 140 games in every non-COVID season since 2016. Missing two games a month isn’t shabby in this era of rest and recovery.

If that is the case in 2026, Bell can provide a little bit of an uptick in production at the position.

Yes, that means the bar is low. Because the Twins have failed at the Miguel Sanó succession plan. They have struggled to find a long-term solution at first base since they moved on from the burly strikeout-prone slugger during the 2022 season.

In 2023, Joey Gallo was the opening day first baseman. Great with the glove. Prodigious power. Prodigious strikeouts. Alex Kirilloff and Donovan Solano got chunks of time there as well. Collectively, Twins first basemen produced 22 homers, 88 RBI and a .790 OPS — actually above the league average of .775 for that position.

Last season, Ty France played at first base before being traded, with Kody Clemens and Edouard Julien also getting reps. France was adamant that his defense wasn’t as bad as past numbers reflected. He was right. Too bad it wasn’t the same for his offense. Twins first basemen last year had 15 homers, 72 RBI and a .678 OPS — below the league average of .754

Last season, Bell had a .237 average, 22 home runs, 63 RBI and a .741 OPS. Not jaw-dropping, but would be an improvement. Recently acquired Eric Wagaman is in line to get time at first base, too, with Bell a DH candidate.

One thing I discovered during this exercise is that teams got an average of around 24 home runs from their first basemen over the past three seasons. Orioles fans, cherish Peter Alonso while you have him.

Meanwhile, welcome, Josh Bell. The Twins might have actually upgraded a position heading into camp.

And good luck, Miguel Sanó. He recently signed a one-year deal with the Chunichi Dragons in Japan.

Best of luck to Ramsay — a very personable, sharp and approachable gaffer — as he heads to West Bromwich Albion.

I do believe Chief Soccer Officer Khaled El-Ahmad can figure out a way to put a capable team on the pitch despite the frugalness of his owner.

Yes, there have been a few clunkers. But El-Ahmad first had to navigate the end of the Emanuel Reynoso experience while building a roster. But he’s added some keepers, like Kelvin Yeboah, Joaquín Pereyra, Anthony Markanich and Nectarios Triantis.

And El-Ahmad identified Ramsay’s coaching chops. So let’s see how the Loons soccer leader works through this.

As for McGuire, please remember that the Loons are coming off their most successful season ever. You can’t just open the doors to Allianz Field and expect 18,000 fans to show up if they begin to sense you’re not trying to win.

She can defend, run the offense and put her teammates in position to be successful. The way the Gophers play — they have three players averaging in double digits and a fourth at 9.2 — there are plenty of opportunities for Battle to contribute.

The 5-foot-11 guard from Hopkins leads the team with 7.5 rebounds a game and 57 assists (3.8 a game). Some of her numbers dipped on Jan. 8, when she played just 18 minutes of a 79-47 win over Northwestern, scoring four points while adding six rebounds and five assists.

“She can handle the ball,” teammate Maura Braun said. “She’s been playing more off the ball this year with Tori [McKinney] in the starting lineup. She guards 1 through 4, or even 5. Sometimes she’s guarding their primary post just because of her length and her ability to disrupt.

“So she really does anything coach [Dawn Plitzuweit] needs her to, and she’s gonna do it because she wants to win and she’s a team player.”

Battle and the Gophers play host to USC on Sunday, Jan. 11.