Newly acquired Washington Nationals first baseman Josh Bell and the Washington Nationals announced the formation of the "Josh Bell's Book Club," which will be a monthly book club for adults that will be focused on self-improvement.

Bell, previously created a book club when he was playing for the Pirates in Pittsburgh and was active in social justice causes last year. Last summer, Bell was showcased in an MLB article about his work that the did around social justice. "Last year, Josh Bell earned his place in the spotlight with an All-Star season and grew more comfortable with his status as the Pirates’ face of the franchise. Now more than ever, Bell is using that platform to shine a light on issues of systemic racism and social injustice and make a positive impact on society. Never one to draw attention to himself, Bell broke character and publicly spoke out on several occasions over the last month about racial inequality, police brutality and the challenges that come with being Black in both baseball and America. The 27-year-old first baseman is continuing to lend his voice to the national conversation taking place following the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, while in Minneapolis police custody on May 25"

Focused on “what being a good human being looks like,” I have purposefully chosen books for my club that offer concepts, mindsets and inspiration for being and becoming better. Books – Betterment – Progress is a continuum: we can learn through books, we can become better and we can achieve progress.

Each month Josh Bell will announce another book in this season-long series and will be participating in "engaging discussions" about what resonated with the readers. "Josh Bell has purposefully choosen books for the club that offer concepts, mindsets, and inspiration for being and becoming better people, which is reflected in the tagline for the program 'Books, Betterment. Progress," which was mentioned in an annoucement.

The book discussions will be guided by librarians from Fairfax County Public Library and Prince George’s County Memorial Library System – the two preferred library systems of the Josh Bell Book Club. Occasionally, there might be some "special guests" tha will join the discussion group.

The newley acquired first baseman said in a statement: "I’m excited to announce the start of my book club and share my love of reading and self-improvement with others... I’m hoping that this club helps everyone dive inside themselves and allows them to reflect on their own habits and upbringings. I think that everyone has the opportunity to grow through reading and everybody should try to go 1-0 every day. Hopefully this book club will provide an opportunity for all of us to do that!"

The first book will be Mental Game of Baseball: A Guide to Peak Perforamce by H.A. Doorfam, Karl Kuehl. The discussion will take place on Sunday, May 23rd, from 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.