Bell played his high school baseball at J.M. Tate High School,located in Cantonment,Florida. A first-round pick of the Minnesota Twins in 1984,Bell made 129 errors over his first three minor-league seasons. The following year he was traded to the Cleveland Indians in a deal that brought starter Bert Blyleven to the Twins. When he finally reached the majors in 1986,he faced Blyleven in his first major-league at-bat. During this moment,Bell ripped the first pitch he saw from Blyleven for a home run. [2]
Bell maintained his reputation as one of the best shortstops in the 1990s.[ citation needed ] His range was only average but he had a great knowledge of the hitters and positioned himself well. He won a Gold Glove Award in 1993,breaking a string of thirteen straight National League Gold Gloves at shortstop by Ozzie Smith. It was also the first Gold Glove by a Pirate shortstop since Gene Alley's back-to-back honors in 1966 and 1967. Though mostly a singles and doubles hitter at first,Bell was also an expert at bunting. Bell did show early signs of his power potential hitting 21 home runs in 1997 and 20 in 1998. A trial switch to second base at end of the '98 season became a permanent move the next spring. Bell belted 36 of his 38 homers from his new position,a total exceeded only by Rogers Hornsby,Davey Johnson and Ryne Sandberg among second basemen. One of those round-trippers was a sixth-inning grand slam off the Oakland Athletics pitcher Jimmy Haynes on the final game before the All-Star break,which won $1 million for an Arizona fan,Gylene Hoyle,who had correctly predicted the batter and the inning for a bases-loaded blast. [3] Bell won the World Series with the Diamondbacks in 2001,serving as the winning run in Game 7 when he reached base on a ninth-inning bunt before Luis Gonzalez singled to deliver a walk-off series victory over the New York Yankees.
In his career,Bell batted .265,with 195 home runs,868 runs batted in,1,123 runs scored,1,964 hits,394 doubles,67 triples and 91 stolen bases. As a player,Bell was well known for wearing eyeglasses on the field.
After the 2006 season,Bell retired as bench coach of the Arizona Diamondbacks in order to spend more time with his family,who are located in Phoenix,Arizona and Tampa,Florida. He currently has a ballfield named after him in Phoenix,called Jay Bell Field. He became eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009. 75% of the vote was necessary for induction,and 5% was necessary to stay on the ballot. He received 0.4% of the vote and dropped off the ballot. [4]
Bell serves as a member of the advisory board of the Baseball Assistance Team,a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping former Major League,Minor League,and Negro league players through financial and medical difficulties. In 2012,he served as the hitting coach for the Mobile BayBears,the Double-A affiliate of the Diamondbacks. [4] Bell was hired as the hitting coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates on October 31,2012. [1] On November 11,2013,Bell was named bench coach of the Cincinnati Reds. On October 22,2015,it was announced that the Reds would not renew Bell's contract. On January 13,2017,Bell became the manager for the Class A (Advanced) Tampa Yankees. [5]
On August 29,2017,Bell became the manager of the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League. On January 25,2018,Bell was named the manager of the Trenton Thunder,the New York Yankees AA affiliate and in 2019 he was promoted to manager of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders,the Yankees AAA affiliate. [6] On January 6,2020,Bell was announced as the manager of the Rocket City Trash Pandas,the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels,for their inaugural season. [7] Rocket City took the place of the relocated Mobile BayBears. He left following the 2021 season.
Eric Scott Hinske is an American professional baseball coach and former outfielder and first baseman. Hinske played in the major leagues from 2002 to 2013 with the Toronto Blue Jays,Boston Red Sox,Tampa Bay Rays,Pittsburgh Pirates,New York Yankees,Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks at third base,first base,left field,and right field. He won the 2002 AL Rookie of the Year Award with the Blue Jays. He has also been a coach for the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels.
Alfredo JoséPedrique García is a Venezuelan professional baseball player,coach,and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop for the New York Mets (1987),Pittsburgh Pirates (1987–88),and Detroit Tigers (1989).
The following are the baseball events of the year 2004 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 2002 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 2000 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1999 throughout the world.
Rodrigo Richard Barajas is an American former professional baseball catcher and is currently serving as the Field Coordinator for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). Barajas served as the interim manager for the San Diego Padres after Andy Green's firing on September 21,2019. As a player in Major League Baseball (MLB),he played for the Arizona Diamondbacks,Texas Rangers,Philadelphia Phillies,Toronto Blue Jays,New York Mets,Los Angeles Dodgers,and Pittsburgh Pirates. With the Diamondbacks,he won the 2001 World Series over the then reigning,three-time world champion New York Yankees. Barajas also played for the Mexico national baseball team.
Robert Andrew Meacham is an American former professional baseball shortstop,who spent his entire six-year big league playing career with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). Since retiring from active play,Meacham has managed and coached for several organizations in the majors and minors.
Christopher Edward Speier is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop,most notably for the San Francisco Giants and the Montreal Expos. He is known by the nickname "the Alameda Rifle" as a native of the San Francisco Bay Area city who possessed a strong arm during his days as an active player.
Stephen Oris Drew is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks,Oakland Athletics,Boston Red Sox,New York Yankees and Washington Nationals. His two brothers,outfielder J.D. and pitcher Tim,also played in MLB.
Robert Lewis Thomson,nicknamed "Topper",is a Canadian professional baseball manager for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball.
The 2000 Major League Baseball season ended with the New York Yankees defeating the New York Mets in five games,for their third consecutive World Series title. The 2000 World Series was known as the Subway Series because both fans and the two teams could take the subway to and from every game of the series.
The 1997 Major League Baseball season was the inaugural season for Interleague play,as well as the final season in the American League for the Milwaukee Brewers before moving to the NL the following season. The California Angels changed their name to the Anaheim Angels. The Florida Marlins ended the season as the World Champions defeating the Cleveland Indians in a seven-game World Series,four games to three.
The 1999 Major League Baseball season ended with the New York Yankees sweeping the Atlanta Braves in the World Series.
David Shelley Duncan is an American former professional baseball player. He was a left fielder,designated hitter,and first baseman. Duncan played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees,Cleveland Indians,and Tampa Bay Rays. He was the Major League field coordinator for the Toronto Blue Jays,and later served as the analytics coordinator for the Chicago White Sox.
The 1988 Cleveland Indians season was the 88th season for the franchise. The team,managed by Doc Edwards,finished sixth in the American League East.
The following are the baseball events of the year 2009 throughout the world.
Clifton Randolph Pennington is an American former professional baseball infielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics,Arizona Diamondbacks,Toronto Blue Jays,Los Angeles Angels,and Cincinnati Reds between 2008 and 2018. In 2021 he was hired as the baseball recruiting coordinator for the Dallas Baptist Patriots.
The following are the baseball events of the year 2010 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 2011 throughout the world.
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