Buddy Bell
Buddy Bell | |
---|---|
Third baseman / Manager | |
Born: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | August 27, 1951|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
April 15, 1972, for the Cleveland Indians | |
Last MLB appearance | |
June 17, 1989, for the Texas Rangers | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .279 |
Hits | 2,514 |
Home runs | 201 |
Runs batted in | 1,106 |
Managerial record | 519–724 |
Winning % | .418 |
Teams | |
As player
As manager As coach
| |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
David Gus "Buddy" Bell (born August 27, 1951) is an American former third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) currently serving as vice president and senior advisor to the general manager for the Cincinnati Reds.
After an 18-year career with four teams, most notably the
He is the son of
Career
Bell was born while his father was playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was drafted in 1969 by the Indians and was regarded as a promising prospect from the beginning. He first appeared in the Major Leagues with the Indians in 1972, appearing mostly in the outfield as a rookie, but afterwards becoming a fixture at third base. The 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), 185 lb (84 kg) Bell was a solid, but not overpowering, right-handed hitter on a mostly lackluster Indians team. He was named to the All-Star team in 1973.
After the
In fielding, Bell was spectacular and often played far off the third base line, taking many base hits from opposing batters. In Total zone runs (a defensive statistic) he is ninth all time (ahead of Willie Mays) and 2nd among all third baseman (behind Brooks Robinson). His Range factor (another defensive stat) is fifth all-time among third baseman. He was in the top 10 in fielding percentage 10 times and finished first three times.
In the middle of the 1985 season, Bell was sent to the Cincinnati Reds, where his father had been a popular player in the 1950s. Buddy responded with two more solid years playing for second place teams under Pete Rose. In 1986, he hit a career-high 20 home runs. In the 1988 season he began to fade and was traded to the Houston Astros. Bell was released in December and returned with the Rangers before the 1989 season, in which he appeared sparingly. In an 18-year career, Bell posted a .279 batting average with 201 home runs and 1106 RBI in 2405 games. He won six Gold Gloves, and made five All-Star Game appearances.
Following retirement, Bell worked for several years as a coach for the Reds, and from 1994-95 for the Indians. He managed the Detroit Tigers from 1996–98. He then managed the Colorado Rockies from 2000 through part of 2002 when he was fired in April after a 6–16 start. As a manager both for Detroit and Colorado, Bell compiled a 184–277 record.
In November 2002, Bell returned to coaching for the Cleveland Indians. On May 31, 2005, the Kansas City Royals hired Bell as their manager, three weeks after Tony Peña resigned. Bell won his first four games as a manager, becoming only the second Royals manager (after Whitey Herzog) to do so and guiding the Royals to their first four-game winning streak since 2003.
Bell took a medical leave of absence from the team on September 20, 2006, after a lump was discovered on his tonsils. Bell had experienced difficulty swallowing in the previous weeks,[2] and went to the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, following the advice of Royals medical staff. On August 1, 2007, Bell announced that he would not be returning to the Royals bench at the conclusion of the 2007 season. Bell stated that his decision was his own, not based on pressure from the Royals front office, and that he wished to spend more time with his family.[3]
Managerial record
Team | From | To | Regular season record | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | Win % | |||
Detroit Tigers | 1996 | 1998 | 184 | 277 | .399 |
Colorado Rockies | 2000 | 2002 | 161 | 185 | .465 |
Kansas City Royals | 2005 | 2007 | 174 | 262 | .399 |
Total | 519 | 724 | .418 | ||
Reference:[4] |
See also
- Houston Astros award winners and league leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career doubles leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders
- Third-generation Major League Baseball families
- List of second-generation Major League Baseball players
References
- ^ "Former Mariner David Bell hired as manager of Reds". The Seattle Times. The Associated Press. 21 October 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ "Buddy Bell". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Buddy Bell managerial career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com
- Buddy Bell at Baseball Biography
- Buddy Bell at Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Professional Baseball League)