Michael John Bell (December 7, 1974 – March 26, 2021) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system u ...

and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

(MLB) for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

, and was the bench coach of the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area ...

during the 2020 season. He was the brother of David Bell, son of Buddy Bell and grandson of

Gus Bell David Russell "Gus" Bell Jr. (November 15, 1928 – May 7, 1995) was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball from 1950 through 1964, who played with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets and Milwaukee Braves. He batted ...

Baseball career

Bell attended Moeller High School in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state lin ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

. The Texas Rangers selected Bell in the first round of the 1993 Major League Baseball draft. He played in Minor League Baseball from 1993 to 2005. In 2000, he played in

for the

. With the Reds, Bell batted .222 with two

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run is ...

s and four

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

in 19

games A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (su ...

. In 2007, Bell was named the

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

of the Yakima Bears, a minor league affiliate of the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. ...

. He managed the Visalia Rawhide in 2008 and 2009. Bell then served as the director of player development for the Diamondbacks from 2011 through 2016 and as vice president of player development from 2017 through 2019. On December 17, 2019, the

named Bell to their coaching staff for the 2020 season, replacing Derek Shelton, who left to manage the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. Founded as part o ...

Personal life

Bell and his wife, Kelly, had three children. His father, Buddy Bell, grandfather,

, and brother, David Bell, all played in the major leagues. Bell fell ill in July 2020, and an examination in January 2021 discovered tumors on his kidneys. He underwent a procedure on January 28, and went on indefinite leave from the Twins, working remotely from his Phoenix home. Bell died on March 26, 2021, less than two months after his diagnosis.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Mike 1974 births 2021 deaths Arizona Diamondbacks executives Baseball players from Cincinnati Binghamton Mets players Charleston RiverDogs players Charlotte Knights players Charlotte Rangers players Cincinnati Reds players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Gulf Coast Rangers players Louisville RiverBats players Major League Baseball bench coaches Major League Baseball farm directors Major League Baseball third basemen Memphis Redbirds players Minnesota Twins coaches Minor league baseball coaches Minor league baseball managers Norfolk Tides players Oklahoma City 89ers players St. Lucie Mets players Salem Avalanche players Tucson Sidewinders players Tulsa Drillers players Deaths from kidney cancer Deaths from cancer in Arizona

Baseball career

Personal life

See also

References

External links