Jay Bell
Encyclopedia
Jay Stuart Bell is a former Major League Baseball
shortstop
and second baseman
who played for the Cleveland Indians
(1986–88), Pittsburgh Pirates
(1989–96), Kansas City Royals
(1997), Arizona Diamondbacks
(1998–2002) and New York Mets
(2003).
He played his high school baseball at J.M. Tate High School in Cantonment, FL
Bell maintained his reputation as one of the best shortstops in the 1990s. His range was only average but he had a great knowledge of the hitters and positioned himself well. Originally 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 Indians in a deal that brought starter
Bert Blyleven
to Minnesota, and when he finally reached the majors in 1986 he faced Blyleven in his first major-league at-bat. Bell promptly ripped the first pitch he saw from Blyleven for a home run
.
Bell won a Gold Glove Award
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, that won $1 million for an Arizona fan (Gylene Hoyle) who had correctly predicted the batter and the inning for a bases-loaded blast.
In the 2001 World Series
, Bell scored the series winning run in Game 7 on a Luis Gonzales
bloop-single, then what would become an iconic image was Bell clapping his hands over his head and then running into Diamondback's third basemen Matt Williams' arms.
In his career, Bell batted for .265, with 195 home runs, 868 runs batted in, 1123 runs scored, 394 doubles
, 67 triples
and 91 stolen bases. He also won the Gold Glove award in 1993 and was selected to the All-Star game the same year and in 1999. As a player, Bell was well known for wearing eyeglasses on the field.
After the season, Jay Bell retired as bench coach of the Arizona Diamondbacks
in order to spend more time with his family in Phoenix, Arizona and Tampa, Florida.
Jay Bell also has a ballfield named after him in Phoenix, AZ called Jay Bell Field.
Bell 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.
Currently, 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. He is also the hitting coach for the Mobile Bay Bears.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
and second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
who played for the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
(1986–88), Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
(1989–96), Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
(1997), Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
(1998–2002) and New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
(2003).
He played his high school baseball at J.M. Tate High School in Cantonment, FL
Bell maintained his reputation as one of the best shortstops in the 1990s. His range was only average but he had a great knowledge of the hitters and positioned himself well. Originally a first-round pick of the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
in 1984, Bell made 129 errors over his first three minor-league seasons. The following year he was traded to the Indians in a deal that brought starter
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
Bert Blyleven
Bert Blyleven
Bert Blyleven is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from to , and was best known for his curveball. Blyleven was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011...
to Minnesota, and when he finally reached the majors in 1986 he faced Blyleven in his first major-league at-bat. Bell promptly ripped the first pitch he saw from Blyleven for a home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
.
Bell won a Gold Glove Award
Gold Glove Award
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League , as voted by the...
award in 1993, breaking a string of thirteen straight National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
Gold Gloves at shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
by Ozzie Smith
Ozzie Smith
Osborne Earl "Ozzie" Smith is an American former baseball shortstop who played in Major League Baseball for the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals from 1978 to 1996...
. It was also the first Gold Glove by a Pirate shortstop since Gene Alley
Gene Alley
Leonard Eugene Alley is a former Major League Baseball shortstop who played his entire career for the Pittsburgh Pirates ....
'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
Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby, Sr. , nicknamed "The Rajah", was an American baseball infielder, manager, and coach who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball . He played for the St. Louis Cardinals , New York Giants , Boston Braves , Chicago Cubs , and St. Louis Browns...
, Davey Johnson
Davey Johnson
David Allen "Davey" Johnson is an American Major League Baseball player and current manager of the Washington Nationals. He was the starting second baseman for the Baltimore Orioles when they won four American League pennants and two World Series championships between 1965 and 1972...
and Ryne Sandberg
Ryne Sandberg
Ryne Dee Sandberg , nicknamed "Ryno" is a former Major League Baseball second baseman. During a 16-year baseball career, he played from 1981–1994 and 1996–97, spending nearly his entire career with the Chicago Cubs. He was named after relief pitcher Ryne Duren, and is recognized as one of the best...
among second basemen. One of those round-trippers, was a sixth-inning grand slam
Grand slam (baseball)
In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...
off the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Jimmy Haynes
Jimmy Haynes
Jimmy Wayne Haynes is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher.Haynes was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1991 amateur draft. He made his debut in the season and was later sent to the Oakland Athletics.After playing for the Athletics and Milwaukee Brewers , Haynes became a...
on the final game before the All-Star
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
break, that won $1 million for an Arizona fan (Gylene Hoyle) who had correctly predicted the batter and the inning for a bases-loaded blast.
In the 2001 World Series
2001 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 27, 2001 at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix, ArizonaArizona showed no fear and chased Yankees starter Mike Mussina after just three innings. The Yankees gave up five unearned runs and the Diamondbacks rode Curt Schilling's seven strong innings to a 9–1 rout...
, Bell scored the series winning run in Game 7 on a Luis Gonzales
Luis Gonzales
Luis Javier Gonzales Posada Eyzaguirre is a Peruvian politician. He is currently a Congressman representing Ica for the period 2006-2011, and belongs to the Peruvian Aprista Party.-References:...
bloop-single, then what would become an iconic image was Bell clapping his hands over his head and then running into Diamondback's third basemen Matt Williams' arms.
In his career, Bell batted for .265, with 195 home runs, 868 runs batted in, 1123 runs scored, 394 doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, 67 triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
and 91 stolen bases. He also won the Gold Glove award in 1993 and was selected to the All-Star game the same year and in 1999. As a player, Bell was well known for wearing eyeglasses on the field.
After the season, Jay Bell retired as bench coach of the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
in order to spend more time with his family in Phoenix, Arizona and Tampa, Florida.
Jay Bell also has a ballfield named after him in Phoenix, AZ called Jay Bell Field.
Bell 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.
Currently, Bell serves as a member of the advisory board of the Baseball Assistance Team
Baseball Assistance Team
The Baseball Assistance Team is a 501 non-profit affiliated with Major League Baseball. The organization's stated goal is to "help members of the baseball family who have come on hard times and are in need of assistance," and is guided by the principles of teamwork, caring, and sharing...
, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping former Major League, Minor League, and Negro League players through financial and medical difficulties. He is also the hitting coach for the Mobile Bay Bears.