View source for Jay Bell

{{short description|American baseball player and coach (born 1965)}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Jay Bell
|image=Buck Showalter, Jay Bell (15123013032) (cropped).jpg
|caption=Bell (right) with the [[Cincinnati Reds]] in 2014
|team=Karachi Monarchs
|number=11
|position=[[Shortstop]] / [[Second baseman]]
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1965|12|11}}
|birth_place=[[Eglin AFB]], [[Florida]], U.S.
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=September 29
|debutyear=1986
|debutteam=Cleveland Indians
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=September 28
|finalyear=2003
|finalteam=New York Mets
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.265
|stat2label=[[Home run]]s
|stat2value=195
|stat3label=[[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=860
|teams=
* [[Cleveland Indians]] ({{mlby|1986}}–{{mlby|1988}})
* [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] ({{mlby|1989}}–{{mlby|1996}})
* [[Kansas City Royals]] ({{mlby|1997}})
* [[Arizona Diamondbacks]] ({{mlby|1998}}–{{mlby|2002}})
* [[New York Mets]] ({{mlby|2003}})
|highlights=
* 2× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1993 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1993]], [[1999 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1999]])
* [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|2001}})
* [[Gold Glove Award]] (1993)
* [[Silver Slugger Award]] (1993)
}}
'''Jay Stuart Bell''' (born December 11, 1965) is an American former [[shortstop]] and [[Coach (baseball)|coach]]. He played in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) for the [[Cleveland Indians]] (1986–1988), [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] (1989–1996), [[Kansas City Royals]] (1997), [[Arizona Diamondbacks]] (1998–2002) and the [[New York Mets]] (2003). He previously was the [[bench coach]] for the [[Cincinnati Reds]], and was the bench coach for the [[New Zealand national baseball team]] that competed in the qualifying tournament for the [[2013 World Baseball Classic]].<ref name="Biertempfel">{{cite news|last=Biertempfel|first=Rod|title=Pirates hire Jay Bell as hitting coach|work=[[Pittsburgh Tribune-Review]]|date=October 31, 2012}}</ref>

==Playing career==
Bell played his high school baseball at [[J.M. Tate High School]] in [[Cantonment, Florida]]. A first-round pick by the [[Minnesota Twins]] in 1984, he struggled initially, committing 129 errors over his first three minor-league seasons. The following year, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians in a deal that brought [[starting pitcher|starter]] [[Bert Blyleven]] to the Twins. 

When Bell finally made it to the majors in 1986, he faced Blyleven in his [[List of Major League Baseball players with a home run in their first major league at bat|first major-league at-bat]]. During this moment, Bell ripped the first pitch he saw from Blyleven for a [[home run]].<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Peter |last=Gammons |title=Between The Lines |date=1986-10-13 |url=http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1065344/index.htm |magazine=Sports Illustrated |access-date=2008-08-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227135910/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1065344/index.htm |archive-date=2009-02-27 }}</ref>

Bell maintained his reputation as one of the best shortstops in the 1990s.{{Citation needed|date=December 2007}} His range may have been considered 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 (baseball)|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 [[bunt (baseball)|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 (baseball)|grand slam]] off the [[Oakland Athletics]] [[pitcher]] [[Jimmy Haynes]] on the final game before the [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|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.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bell Makes Fan a Millionaire|url=http://multimedia.foxsports.com/m/video/23807774/bell-makes-fan-a-millionaire.htm?q=OR+%22Arizona+Diamondbacks%22+OR+Diamondbacks+OR+D%27Backs|date=June 29, 2009|access-date=November 1, 2012|work=[[Fox Sports]]|archive-date=May 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200511110305/https://www.foxsports.com/topics/m/video/23807774/bell-makes-fan-a-millionaire.htm?q=OR+%22Arizona+Diamondbacks%22+OR+Diamondbacks+OR+D%27Backs|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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 (outfielder, born 1967)|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 [[Run (baseball)|runs scored]], 1,964 hits, 394 [[Double (baseball)|doubles]], 67 [[Triple (baseball)|triples]] and 91 [[stolen bases]]. As a player, Bell was well known for wearing eyeglasses on the field.

==Coaching career==
After the {{baseball year|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.<ref name="riveraveblues.com">{{cite web | url=http://riveraveblues.com/2019/02/yankees-announce-2019-minor-league-coaching-staffs-183346/ | title=Update: Yankees announce 2019 minor league coaching staffs | date=4 March 2019 }}</ref>

Bell serves as a member of the advisory board of the [[Baseball Assistance Team]], a [[501(c) organization|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.<ref name="riveraveblues.com"/> Bell was hired as the hitting coach for the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] on October 31, 2012.<ref name="Biertempfel"/> 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 High–A [[Tampa Yankees]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.milb.com/news/gcs-213485692|title=2017 Coaching Staff Tampa Yankees|work=[[Minor League Baseball]]|date=January 13, 2017|access-date=March 26, 2017}}</ref>

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]]' Double–A affiliate, and in 2019 he was promoted to manager of the [[Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders]], the Yankees' Triple–A affiliate.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jay Bell named new BayBears hitting coach |url=https://www.al.com/sports/2011/11/jay_bell_named_new_baybears_hi.html |access-date=October 1, 2020 |work=Press-Register |date=November 24, 2011}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.waff.com/2020/01/07/trash-pandas-announce-new-team-manager-coaching-staff/ |title=Trash Pandas announce new team manager, coaching staff |date=8 January 2020 |access-date=January 8, 2020}}</ref> Rocket City took the place of the relocated [[Mobile BayBears]]. He left following the 2021 season.

Bell was named the manager of the [[Karachi Monarchs]] of [[Baseball United]] in the winter league's [[2025 Baseball United season|inaugural season]] in 2025.<ref>{{cite news |title=A Preview of the Inaugural Baseball United Season |url=https://worldbaseball.com/a-preview-of-the-inaugural-baseball-united-season/ |access-date=16 November 2025 |agency=World Baseball Network |date=14 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251115232838/https://worldbaseball.com/a-preview-of-the-inaugural-baseball-united-season/ |archive-date=2025-11-15}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball players with a home run in their first major league at bat]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Baseballstats|mlb=110826|espn=1823|br=b/bellja01|fangraphs=48|brm=bell--001jay}}
*[http://www.royalsreview.com/story/2007/6/11/13514/3712 The 100 Greatest Royals of All-Time- #100 Jay Bell]
*[http://deadspin.com/5948191/how-a-career-ends-jay-bell-homered-off-a-hall-of-famer-in-his-first-at+bat-flied-out-in-his-last How A Career Ends: Jay Bell Homered Off A Hall Of Famer In His First At-Bat, Flied Out In His Last]

{{Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders managers}}
{{1984 MLB Draft}}
{{Minnesota Twins first-round draft picks}}
{{2001 Arizona Diamondbacks}}
{{NL SS Silver Slugger Award}}
{{NL SS Gold Glove Award}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Jay}}
[[Category:1965 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Arizona Diamondbacks coaches]]
[[Category:Arizona Diamondbacks players]]
[[Category:Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players]]
[[Category:Cincinnati Reds coaches]]
[[Category:Cleveland Indians players]]
[[Category:Colorado Springs Sky Sox players]]
[[Category:Elizabethton Twins players]]
[[Category:Gold Glove Award winners]]
[[Category:Kansas City Royals players]]
[[Category:Lancaster JetHawks players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball bench coaches]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball shortstops]]
[[Category:National League All-Stars]]
[[Category:New York Mets players]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Escambia County, Florida]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Pirates coaches]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Pirates players]]
[[Category:Silver Slugger Award winners]]
[[Category:Trenton Thunder managers]]
[[Category:Tucson Sidewinders players]]
[[Category:Visalia Oaks players]]
[[Category:Waterbury Indians players]]
[[Category:Baseball coaches from Florida]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders managers]]