Buddy Bell

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David Gus "Buddy" Bell (born August 27, 1951 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a former third baseman and current manager in Major League Baseball for the Kansas City Royals. Bell is the son of former player Gus Bell and the father of players David and Mike. He is well-liked by former teammates and fans and continues to be remembered by the organizations he played for.

Bell was born while his father was playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was drafted in 1969 by the Cleveland 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. 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 1978 season Bell was traded to the Texas Rangers, in exchange for Toby Harrah – a player who seemed similar in many ways, a good hitting infielder in the middle of his career.

Bell enjoyed his best season with the Rangers in 1979, collecting 200 hits, 101 RBI, and his first Gold Glove Award. He followed with solid seasons through 1984, including several All-Star selections.

In the middle of the 1985 season, Bell was sent to the Cincinnati Reds, where his father also had been a popular player in the late 1950s. This was a very popular addition with Reds fans, and Buddy responded with two more solid years. 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 a 18-year career, Bell posted a .279 batting average with 201 home runs and 1106 RBI in 2405 games. He also won six Gold Gloves, and made 5 All-Star Game appearances.

Following retirement, Bell worked for several years as a coach in the Reds and from 94-95 for the Indians, and managed the Detroit Tigers from 1996-98, when he resigned after 135 games because he "couldn't stand the losing" (and the Tigers were a terrible team at the time). 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. Unfortunately, after the novelty of a new manager wore off, the Royals resumed their losing ways.

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[1], but he only agreed to go to the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona following the advice of Royals medical staff. Bell's wife has battled tonsil cancer as well.

[edit] Career

• Player
  • Cleveland Indians (1972–78)
  • Texas Rangers (1979–85)
  • Cincinnati Reds (1985–88)
  • Houston Astros (1988)
  • Texas Rangers (1989)
• Coach
  • Cleveland Indians (1994–1995)
  • Cleveland Indians (Nov 2002–May 2005)
• Manager
  • Detroit Tigers (1996–1998)
  • Colorado Rockies (2000–Apr 2002)
  • Kansas City Royals (May 2005–present)

[edit] See also

• Top 500 home run hitters of all time

[edit] External links

• Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
• Baseball Library - Profile

Preceded by: Rick Sutcliffe	Lou Gehrig Memorial Award 1988	Succeeded by: Ozzie Smith
Preceded by: Sparky Anderson	Detroit Tigers Manager 1996–1998	Succeeded by: Larry Parrish
Preceded by: Jim Leyland	Colorado Rockies Managers 2000-2002	Succeeded by: Clint Hurdle
Preceded by: Bob Schaefer	Kansas City Royals Manager 2005-	Succeeded by: Current Manager