David Bell (baseball)
David Bell | |
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![]() Bell with the Cincinnati Reds in 2022 | |
Cincinnati Reds – No. 25 | |
Third baseman / Second baseman / Manager | |
Born: Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. | September 14, 1972|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
May 3, 1995, for the Cleveland Indians | |
Last MLB appearance | |
October 1, 2006, for the Milwaukee Brewers | |
MLB statistics (through August 16, 2024) | |
Batting average | .257 |
Home runs | 123 |
Runs batted in | 589 |
Managerial record | 393–438 |
Winning % | .473 |
Teams | |
|
David Michael Bell (born September 14, 1972) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and second baseman, former Coach, and current manager for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). Over the course of his 12-year MLB playing career, Bell appeared at all four infield positions while playing for the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Milwaukee Brewers, but played primarily at third and second. Bell made his MLB debut for the Indians in 1995.
After his retirement as an active player, Bell served as a coach for the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals. After managing the Triple-A Louisville Bats and (former) Double-A Carolina Mudcats, both of which are or were in the Reds organization, Bell was chosen as the Reds manager in 2018.
The grandson of Gus Bell, son of Buddy Bell, and brother of Mike Bell, David Bell is a member of one of five families to have three generations play in the Major Leagues. In addition, David and Buddy are the fifth father-son pair to serve as major league managers, joining Connie and Earle Mack, George and Dick Sisler, Bob and Joel Skinner, and Bob and Aaron Boone.[1]
Amateur career
[edit]Bell attended Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. Playing for the school's varsity baseball team for three years, where he ranks in the Top Ten in five career categories including doubles and plate appearances. He ranks among the top in Single Season Doubles and Most Doubles in one game.[2] He also played Mickey Mantle and Connie Mack Baseball National Championship teams in 1988 and 1989 respectively as well as leading Moeller to a state championship in 1989.[3] Bell was also a member of the Moeller boys' basketball team.[4] Bell committed to play baseball at the University of Kentucky as a junior.[2]
Professional career
[edit]Draft and minor leagues
[edit]After the Cleveland Indians selected Bell with their pick in the seventh round (190th overall),[5] Bell decided to forgo his commitment to Kentucky.
Major League career
[edit]Cleveland Indians
[edit]Bell made his Major League debut on May 3, 1995 as a pinch hitter for Jim Thome and stayed in the game in a defensive replacement.[6] He was optioned to the Buffalo Bisons on May 8, 1995. He hit .272 with eight home runs and 34 RBIs in 70 games.
St. Louis Cardinals
[edit]On July 27, 1995, Bell was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals along with Pepe McNeal and Rick Heiserman for Ken Hill.[7]
Return to Cleveland
[edit]On April 14, 1998, Bell was claimed off waivers by the Indians.[8] On April 15, he hit the first inside-the-park home run in Jacobs Field history, and the first for the Indians since 1989.[9]
Seattle Mariners
[edit]On August 31, 1998, Bell was traded to the Seattle Mariners for Joey Cora.[10] Bell was re-signed on December 19, 2001.
San Francisco Giants
[edit]On January 25, 2002, Bell was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Desi Relaford so he could have a chance to play every day.[11] Bell scored the 2002 NLCS winning run for the San Francisco Giants from second on Kenny Lofton's single. Bell was the runner bearing down on home plate in Game 5 of the 2002 World Series when J. T. Snow lifted 3 year old batboy Darren Baker out of harm's way.[12] Near the end of the season, he won the 2002 Willie Mac Award for his spirit and leadership – as voted on by his teammates and coaching staff.
Philadelphia Phillies
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/David_Bell.jpg)
On December 2, 2002, Bell signed a four-year $17 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.[13] He made Major League history on June 28, 2004, by joining his grandfather, Gus Bell, as the first grandfather-grandson combination to hit for the cycle.
Milwaukee Brewers
[edit]Bell was traded from the Philadelphia Phillies to the Milwaukee Brewers on July 28, 2006, in a deal that swapped him for minor league pitcher Wilfrido Laureano.[14] The Brewers chose not to re-sign Bell after the 2006 season, and he became a free agent.
Coaching career
[edit]On October 31, 2008, the Cincinnati Reds named Bell the manager for their Double-A affiliate, the Carolina Mudcats.[15] Bell spent three seasons as the Mudcats manager. In November 2011 he was named manager of the Reds' Triple-A affiliate Louisville Bats.[16]
On October 23, 2012, the Chicago Cubs named Bell the third base coach for the Major League club.
On December 17, 2013, the St. Louis Cardinals announced hiring Bell as their new assistant hitting coach.[17]
From 2015 through 2017, Bell served as the Cardinals' bench coach. He left the team on October 20, 2017, to become the vice president of player development for the San Francisco Giants.[18]
Managing career
[edit]Cincinnati Reds
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/David_Bell_and_Jim_Reynolds%2C_6.19.21.jpg/220px-David_Bell_and_Jim_Reynolds%2C_6.19.21.jpg)
On October 21, 2018, the Cincinnati Reds announced Bell had been hired as the 63rd manager in franchise history.[19] The contract spans three years with a club option for a fourth.[19]
In an April 7, 2019, game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Bell was ejected after his role in a bench clearing incident involving Chris Archer, Derek Dietrich, Yasiel Puig, Amir Garrett, Keone Kela, and Felipe Vázquez. This was Bell's first career managerial ejection. Bell received a one-game suspension following the incident on April 9. On July 30, 2019, another bench-clearing mash-up occurred between the Reds and Pirates, with Bell (who had been ejected from the game in the previous half-inning) involved in it. On August 1, 2019, Bell received a 6-game suspension without eligibility to appeal.
On September 22, 2021, Bell agreed to a two-year contract extension with the Reds.[20]
On July 28, 2023, Bell agreed to a contract extension with the Reds through 2026.[21]
Managerial record
[edit]- As of August 20, 2024 [22]
Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
CIN | 2019 | 162 | 75 | 87 | .463 | 4th in NL Central | – | – | – | – |
CIN | 2020 | 60 | 31 | 29 | .517 | 2nd in NL Central | 0 | 2 | .000 | Lost NLWC (ATL) |
CIN | 2021 | 162 | 83 | 79 | .512 | 3rd in NL Central | – | – | – | – |
CIN | 2022 | 162 | 62 | 100 | .383 | 5th in NL Central | – | – | – | – |
CIN | 2023 | 162 | 82 | 80 | .506 | 3rd in NL Central | – | – | – | – |
CIN | 2024 | 126 | 61 | 65 | .484 | – | – | – | – | |
Total | 834 | 394 | 440 | .472 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
See also
[edit]- List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle
- List of Major League Baseball players named in the Mitchell Report
- List of second-generation Major League Baseball players
- List of St. Louis Cardinals coaches
- Cleveland Indians all-time roster
- Milwaukee Brewers all-time roster
- Philadelphia Phillies all-time roster
- San Francisco Giants all-time roster
- Seattle Mariners all-time roster
- St. Louis Cardinals all-time roster
- Willie Mac Award
References
[edit]- ^ "Former Mariner David Bell hired as manager of Reds". The Seattle Times. The Associated Press. October 21, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
- ^ a b Shelton, Mark (October 21, 2018). "David Bell '90 Named Cincinnati Reds New Manager". www.letsgobigmoe.com. ESP Media, LLC. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
- ^ LaRosa, Buddy. "Announcing the 2009 Hall of Fame Inductees". www.larosasmvp.com. LaRosa MVP. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
- ^ Springer, Scott (October 22, 2018). "New Cincinnati Reds skipper David Bell led Moeller Crusaders to state title". www.January 15, 2019. USA Today.
- ^ Lastoria, Tony (January 24, 2016). "Looking Back at the Indians' Draft: 1990". www.247spots.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
- ^ "Indians 14 - Tigers 7, May 3, 1995". www.baseball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
- ^ Chass, Murray (July 28, 1995). "BASEBALL; Rich Get Richer: Angels Land Abbott; Indians Add Hill". The New York Times. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
- ^ "Transactions". www.courant.com. The Hartford Courant. April 15, 1998. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
- ^ "Cleveland's Bell Hits Homerun". www.apnews.com. The Associated Press. April 15, 1998. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
- ^ "Indians Deal for Cora". www.orlandosentinel.com. Orlando Sentinel. September 1, 1998. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
- ^ "M's trade David Bell for Giants' Relaford". www.community.seattletimes.nwsource.com. The Seattle Times. January 25, 2002. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
- ^ Shea, John (May 28, 2017). "The little batboy who could: Darren Baker, now 18, grows up". www.sfchronicle.com. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
- ^ "Bell leaves Giants for $17 million deal with Phils". www.aespncdn.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. December 2, 2002. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
- ^ "Phillies trade Bell to Brewers for minor-league pitcher". www.espn.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. July 28, 2006. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
- ^ Sheldon, Mark (October 31, 2008). "Another Bell joins Reds organization". MLB.com. Retrieved October 31, 2008.
- ^ Grant, Michael (November 29, 2011). "David Bell to manage the Louisville Bats, replacing Rick Sweet". courier-journal.com. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
- ^ Langosch, Jenifer (December 17, 2013). "Cards hire Bell to be assistant hitting coach". The Official Site of the St. Louis Cardinals. MLB.com.
- ^ "Bench coach Bell departs for Giants". MLB.com. October 20, 2017. Archived from the original on October 21, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- ^ a b Perry, Dayn (October 21, 2018). "Reds hire new manager, sign Cincinnati native David Bell to three-year deal". CBSSports.com. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
- ^ "David Bell, Reds agree to contract extension".
- ^ Gonzalez, Alden (July 28, 2023). "Reds reward manager David Bell with 3-year contract extension". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ "David Bell Managerial Record".
External links
[edit]- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- David Bell managerial career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com
- David Bell at the SABR Baseball Biography Project
- David Bell at Baseball Almanac
- 1972 births
- Living people
- Arkansas Travelers players
- Baseball coaches from Ohio
- Baseball players from Cincinnati
- Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
- Burlington Indians players (1986–2006)
- Canton-Akron Indians players
- Charlotte Knights players
- Chicago Cubs coaches
- Cincinnati Reds managers
- Cleveland Indians players
- Columbus Indians players
- Gulf Coast Indians players
- Kinston Indians players
- Louisville Bats managers
- Louisville Redbirds players
- Major League Baseball bench coaches
- Major League Baseball second basemen
- Major League Baseball third base coaches
- Major League Baseball third basemen
- Milwaukee Brewers players
- Philadelphia Phillies players
- St. Louis Cardinals coaches
- St. Louis Cardinals players
- San Francisco Giants players
- Seattle Mariners players
- Moeller High School alumni